I’m forwarding this email mostly for the good laugh but it does contain a very clever suggestion!
Robin
(From the LBDA Forum)
http://www.lewybodydementia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=480
Posted by: Linda
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:49 pm
Post subject: To drive or not to drive, that is the question… 1 solution
Dad wad driving. He LOVED his keys. We really thought we would have to take the car away from both mom and dad to get him to stop. He came to visit us in Florida and got the car stuck in the mulch. We decided to just leave it there. After 3 or 4 days we started talking about how bad his vision was. (He WAS seeing things that were not there.) Then we brought up the fact that maybe it was time to let mom drive. It was MUCH easier than we thought. BUT, we knew when he returned to NC, he was going to make a break for it. SO, I went to the key store and had them make a key for the ignition that would NEVER start the car. We left the key to open the doors and trunk on his ring and replaced the ignition key with the dummy. Sure enough, when he returned home, he tried to start the car. Every time he comes in and says the car won’t start, we just point out the fact that he agreed not to drive because his eyes are so bad.
Back in February, I took him to the beach. On the way home, I needed to stop at the grocery store. He said he would wait in the car. He was in the passenger seat. “Don’t leave me, Dad.” (Famous last words.) When I came out, no dad! I just started laughing. I should have known better. After a while, I spotted the car at the far end of the strip mall. I ran as fast as I could, pushing the cart. When I almost reached the car. He took off. This happened two or three times before I caught him. I almost believed he was doing it just for fun. I just thought I’d share this, since so many days with LBD are so tough. Some things that happen are a blessing. When dad is gone, I’ll remember the day he exercised me at the grocery store.
_________________
Linda
Father has LBD, lives 400 miles away