Alzheimer’s On The Road

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It’s a degenerative disease that affects the brain of millions of elderly people. It’s estimated that there are twenty-five thousand people living with Alzheimer’s disease in North Central Florida, many still holding a drivers license.

Experts on the disease say each case is unique and should be treated as such when it comes to driving. While the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles doesn’t have a system to proactively screen drives with Alzheimers, cops say there are ways to weed out the dangerous drivers.

While driving isn’t illegal for those suffering from the degenerative disease, Richard Mitchell with the Alzheimer’s Association says, “They’ll get lost and it’s always a concern they could hit something or someone if it’s bad enough.”

Under Florida law you never have to physically walk into a D.M.V to renew your license until you are ninety-eight, making options for taking newly disabled drivers off the road tough to come by.

Sgt. Maynard with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says, “We can do a referral to Department of Motor Vehicles and Safety recommencing the person have a mandatory exam.”

Alzheimers experts like Mitchell say the best option comes from families having an honest talk with their loved one, and if that fails mitchell says you might have to resort to taking the keys. Mitchell also says ach case is different so it could be years before a person with Alzheimer’s is unable to drive, and warn the change can come quickly so it’s important for families to be aware and take action if their loved one could pose a threat on the roadways. 

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