Why oh why?
@GardenGerty (169406)
United States
October 5, 2015 7:10am CST
Every day it seems there is something new in my news feed about a missing child. Also there is frequently a mention of an elderly person with dementia, last seen driving their car and now missing.
I can sort of understand about the kids. People snatch kids, kids wander off and do not know how to get back. However they need to be checked on really regularly to prevent this.
My "why oh why!" question is about these elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer's. Why oh why do they still have cars, or access to keys? You can take their license away, but they will still drive. We had a lady in our nursing home that stole a van from her previous nursing home and left the facility. She tried to take the car that the pharmaceutical courier was driving to our facility.
Why do people not protect their elderly loved ones and remove any car they might attempt to drive?
6 people like this
8 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
5 Oct 15
This can be harder than it sounds. My mother spend her last days in the psychiatric department of the geriatric wing at the hospital, yet she managed to wander out one time. Naturally these places try to keep a very close watch on patients, but she found a way out via the emergency exit.
We could not really criticise the hospital because the law insists that all such buildings should have an emergency escape route. Fortunately she was noticed while still in he hospital grounds.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
5 Oct 15
Here they will put a special bracelet on the resident and have an alarm that goes off at the door. I am most concerned however about the ones that are allowed to keep on driving.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
5 Oct 15
@GardenGerty The idea of fitting an alarm never crossed my mind, otherwise I would have raised that point at the time.
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
5 Oct 15
Part of the problem may be due to family not realizing the seriousness of how far gone their elderly relatives have gotten. I know that when my mom got Alzheimer's her friends recognized what was going on about two years before my own family did. We'd already had her sell her car since her eyesight got bad before her mind did. So we didn't have to deal with that aspect.
I don't see how someone in a nursing home would have access to keys though. THat doesn't make much sense.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
5 Oct 15
In the case I mentioned the home had a habit of leaving the keys in the company van--bad no no. They got two state citations at least over the event. In the case of the courier at our facility his vehicle was running, but locked. He carried a second set of keys. She got out the door and to his car. That is when we learned about her past elopement. We got wanderguards for the facility for her.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
5 Oct 15
@Shellyann36 I am sure it is exhausting for them as well.
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
5 Oct 15
@MarshaMusselman this is true because our family did not realize the signs in the very early stages. Now we do and unfortunately my aunt now has Alzheimer's. It is no fun. My parents are watching her and it is a constant struggle.
2 people like this
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
5 Oct 15
We took my father's keys when he started having memory loss and confusion. We also got my brother to come with a truck and take out all his tools from the cellar. My father was a carpenter and we couldn't risk him getting down there unnoticed and starting up the table saw. It is important to take steps to secure their safety and that of others in the household.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
5 Oct 15
I have a friend who is a nurse and her husband is an electrician. They disconnected the gas stove in their grandmother's house, which was on the same property as they were living. They also sealed up the door to the upstairs of her house. She was okay with this and when they put her in a nursing home, she thought it was a grand social occasion.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
5 Oct 15
Sometimes families are in denial and they don't want to admit that their loved one has dementia or Alzheimer's. That is how some things happen. Of course I worked at a place that had an Alzheimer's unit with codes on the doors for the employees. Some of the residents would be sneaky and come watch you to get the codes. Just because they are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's does not mean that they are completely helpless. Sometimes even if you hide the keys to the car they might find them. During the early stages of my Granny's Alzheimer's she would do things such as sneaking out of her room to cook breakfast at my aunt's home. She nearly burned the kitchen down once at around 3am. From that point on the door to the kitchen had to be locked and my aunt kept the keys in her room.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
6 Oct 15
You are correct. People with dementia are not stupid. They can be quite crafty and scary.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
5 Oct 15
Just as I much believe that children must not have complete freedom until they learn to use it, I think that there is an age for certain things. I am 70 (I´d rather say 60ish
) and this year I decided to sell my car. I know when to call it quits. I will spend that money to hire a cab if needed and will sleep over at my friends´ house after a party if noone can drive me home. I am takung a taxi to the nearest public transportation and we have a good Metro during the day.
I have minor memory problems, not so minor eyesight at night so it is wise to be prepared for the future.
I have an aunt who is 92 years old and still drives. I would NOT give her a licence!
) and this year I decided to sell my car. I know when to call it quits. I will spend that money to hire a cab if needed and will sleep over at my friends´ house after a party if noone can drive me home. I am takung a taxi to the nearest public transportation and we have a good Metro during the day.
I have minor memory problems, not so minor eyesight at night so it is wise to be prepared for the future.
I have an aunt who is 92 years old and still drives. I would NOT give her a licence!@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
6 Oct 15
My husband's mom got rid of her car the day she realized she was driving the wrong way on a one way street in a town that she had lived in for many many years. She knew when to quit as well.
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
5 Oct 15
Ideally they can remain in their familiar surroundings, but it does not always happen that way. In the right types of care homes they have freedom with safety.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502190)
• Italy
5 Oct 15
@GardenGerty And families not always have someone who can stay at home to take care of them.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
6 Oct 15
@LadyDuck This is so true. Often their children have to work or do things for the grandchildren or both.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
6 Oct 15
That is ridiculous. Is it that difficult to monitor the movements of the one who is suffering from dimentia or alzheimers? They need to be watched 24x7
