Harford The Caregiver's Toolkit

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26 T H E C A R E G I V E R ’ S T O O L K I T
CHAPTER 2
DEMENTIA & SAFETY
Is it Time for Your Loved One
to Give Up the Keys?
• Seems unusually uneasy when driving in
general or when driving at night or in bad
weather
• Drives either too quickly or too slowly
• Is slow to respond to signals, stop signs or
hazards in the road
• Has failed to obey traffic signs or signals
• Has significant change or decline in vision,
hearing or mobility
• Has become disoriented or lost on familiar
routes
• Has had warnings or tickets due to poor driving
• Has caused an accident
• Is unable to maintain speed, stay in lane or
perform routine driving functions
• Has frequent near misses while driving
• Has difficulty with response time and/or
coordination
• Has had illnesses where a doctor has cautioned
against driving
• Takes medication that clearly cautions against
driving while taking the prescription
• Confuses the brake and accelerator
See their physician and discuss these concerns
to see if they can be addressed/resolved
Limit driving time to short distances or only in
daytime hours if appropriate
Have vision and hearing tests to help assess
capability
Look for options to decrease the need to drive
such as riding with friends, or using public
transportation
Talk to your loved one’s pharmacist to see if
medications could be at the core of the concern
and what can be done to address this
The items above are not necessarily an indicator that your loved one can no longer
drive. Consider alternate transportation or have a talk with your loved one. Here are
some tips to consider:
The ability to drive is one we often take for granted but hold tightly to as it permits
independence and autonomy.
There may come a time when you feel that your loved one’s ability to drive safely is compromised.
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following checklist as a guideline if your loved one:
Harford County Department
of Community Services
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Helpful Links: