However, it is a tool that family caregivers can use. Take the Keys as a Last Resort Taking away the car keys or a driver s license, or selling or disabling the car should be a last resort. To the family member in the early stages of the disease, such actions seem extreme, disrespectful and punitive. And people with mild dementia can ignore, undo or maneuver around those strategies by driving without a license, enabling the disabled car or buying a new car to replace one that was sold. Once a person has stopped driving, caregivers must decide whether taking away the keys, license and car will help the person adjust or make it more difficult.
Some caregivers remove the keys or the car from sight to avoid having the driving issue resurface.
Others allow people to keep their keys, car and license to help them maintain a sense of dignity. Some people with dementia stop driving but carry their license as photo identification. The Hartford, Hartford, CT 06115. All rights reserved.