No more driving

Teachertee

My mom was just told by her neurologist (thankfully) that she is not to drive anymore.  The doctor wrote this on a prescription pad for her, and included the words "not even to church or the grocery store".  This is a relief to our family, as we were limiting it to only driving when one of us was in the car for navigation purposes.  Skills are still fine but navigation has been a mess.

Will the doctor then report this to the Department of Motor Vehicles?  Or shall we notify them?  I have read that rules and evaluations are different for each state.  I am in Maryland and my father is under the impression that the neurologist is responsible for notifying the DMV and pulling the license.  

Next up- determining if her insulin pump and sensor should be taken away.  Her blood sugar has been very high and very low, with the sensor going off almost daily (sometimes multiple times a day) indicating a high or low.  Very concerned daughters and husband! We will be working with her endocrinologist on this matter.

Thanks for any advice or positive suggestions as we work our way through this. Very fortunate to have my father as her primary caregiver, who is quite sharp cognitively.

Tara

Mom's Baby

Hi Tara,

Honestly, this is a question for your mom's doctor since none of us can know for sure what he will and won't do. That said, I'd be very surprised if he actually called the DMV. It sounds to me like he was just advising your mom and making it look/sound "official" by writing it on a prescription pad (which was good of him, because it's something you can show your mom when she inevitably forgets she's not supposed to drive.) 

Pulling the license and notifying the DMV is only necessary if you really think your mom is going to try to drive on her own, I would think. It's really up to her family to make sure the keys are taken and she does not drive. Once she's in a car, then anything can happen, and telling the DMV doesn't guarantee she won't drive. It just means there's a record of her license being revoked and that she's guilty of an offense if she drives now. 

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harshedbuzz

Teachertee-

It really doesn't matter what the doctor does or doesn't do. It's great the doc took the credit/blame for driving but there's every possibility she won't recall that conversation or that anosognosia will prevent her from believing it applies to her. Even if her license was formally pried from her hands, all she needs is a set of keys and a car that will start. It is the family's responsibility to prevent that from happening. 

FTR, we let dad hold onto a laminated copy of his license as a comfort object and held onto the original for ID. We had no issue with removing him from the insurance, but that could be an issue to discuss with your agent. We disappeared his car and hid the keys to my mother's cars.

I would ask the neurologist about the insulin pump and whether that's something your dad needs to actively manage along with diet.

HB

Teachertee

Thanks so much for attaching this form, Victoria.  I will print it and give it to my father.  She has stated "I'm holding onto my license...if there's an emergency, no one is stopping me".  But, she has also said that she talked it over with herself and that she's better to give up driving because it could be a problem to herself or someone else if she gets into an accident.  But that was the last conversation and she doesn't often recall previous conversations.

She has continuously taken out the prescription page with the no driving direction on it, like a small child showing a parent a failed test that needs signing.  Tough dealing with all of this but we keep reminding her that we all have her safety in mind and we are coming from a place of love.

Thanks, Mom's Baby, Victoria and HB for your thoughts and suggestions.  Greatly appreciated!