Driving with MCI
My husband is a retired state trooper, for over 20 years. He worked the state highways in California and is a very good driver.
He is diagnosed with MCI, but he functions quite well. His short-term memory loss is pretty apparent but it’s combined with severe hard of hearing, mostly corrected with hearing aids.
I’m never sure if he’s missing the point or if he’s just not hearing things; I feel like he doesn’t process things properly for example….
if he heard a sentence, “ Janie needs new shoes”, he might hear “ Janie needs new moves”. He doesn’t consider the fact that Janey is not dancing, but shoeless. Does that make sense?
That tells me the mild cognitive impairment is influencing his ability to process.
Then today he made a mistake in the RV that wasn’t fatal nor did it cause an accident, but it did cause me to have a near heart attack. In the moment, I heard him start the engine to the RV and then all of a sudden I only heard the engine revving and him getting ready to put the car in drive or reverse. I yelled at him and told him put your foot on the break and he looked down and realized it was on the gas and moved his foot over to the break.
This scared me badly. I told him in the end that he needed to acknowledge what happened at least and he refused. Instead it was my fault. It was my fault he got upset because it takes a lot to make him yell ( his words in a feeble apology later) !
I am sick of this and I don’t know what to do.
I don’t know when he will be too bad to drive, he showtimes at the doctor annd acts like all is well.
Seriously, is this the rest of my senior years ?
What I have I done? Marry a man nine years ago that has MCI for 3/4 of that time?
Regrets are running so high at this moment. I think everyone knew when he married me and no one said a word!
How long will this last? I am only 69!
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers: Dementia Support Group.
Connect

You brought up some good points about driving with MCI. I'm 70 and was diagnosed a little over a year ago. I attended Mayo's HABIT program for two weeks last August. I am aware that everyone's progression is different. I, too, wear hearing aids because I have a tumor in my vestibular system. Even before my MCI diagnosis, I've had a problem hearing consonants and tend to say whatever I think I hear. My husband often reacted like I was nuts and that really hurt my feelings because I was simply stating what I heard. It was and is a HEARING problem. NOT a cognitive problem. Eventually, my husband has learned to have more patience and sometimes we just laugh about what I think I heard. I still drive, but I have difficulty when it snows or rains because of my vestibular disorder -- not because of MCI. My reaction time is still in tact and I would be the first one to notice and be mortified if I mixed up the gas and brake pedals. I would proactively take one of the driving fitness tests. (I already took one offered by AARP a couple of years ago.). Every day I wake up wondering if my MCI will progress by leaps and bounds. Not everyone with MCI moves into Dementia or Alzheimer. I'm currently stable, but I work hard to do all of the things that will help me stay stable. Self awareness is critical. If you are in the Mayo system, you both might benefit from attending the HABIT program. The person with MCI must attend with their spouse or a partner. It helps couples understand MCI and develop coping strategies and habits they can implement to help deal with what the future may hold. MCI is scary, but fighting with each other about something you both may not understand is also scary. Some of the people in my class are doing very well -- mostly those that have picked up the habits and do them as prescribed. Those that don't follow the habits aren't doing as well. Partners need to hold each other accountable. Your husband sounds like he is a proud person who is used to being in charge. Aren't we all that person to some degree or another? An MCI diagnosis is difficult for the person and their spouse. Being hard of hearing is an added difficulty. But, level-setting what's going on and taking steps to potentially make it better (or more tolerable) would probably benefit you both. These are just some thoughts. Hoping you both can manage to find common ground and a way forward that is good for you both.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
6 ReactionsPlease check with your insurance to make sure your LO is still covered.
My hubby actually has AD (no longer MCI) and we have an agreement. Since he is still a very good driver (better than me & most), he is - resistant is not nearly strong enough a word - to relinquishing his drivers license. So, we agreed that he will do the driving simulation at Stanford once a quarter, and as long as he scores well, I'll back off. This tests his peripheral vision, reaction time, judgement, etc. It's different each time. Secretly, I have another milestone I have not shared with him. When he can no longer draw the clock on the annual cognitive check-up, then we start talking about alternatives. I read somewhere that, while it doesn't have anything to do with driving directly, the cognitive ability to draw the clock is correlated. Until these gate are passed, I lay off the "nagging" about his driving.
When he loses his ability to drive, my life becomes infinitely more difficult since I still work full time. I'm not old enough to retire... So I'm watching this very closely.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 Reactions@cyds thanks for your golden nugget about the clock and its correlation. I'm in the same boat with my husband.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction