When to stop driving the car

[beckyjorf]

I help a friend who was diagnosed with PD some 10 years ago and he is wondering about continuing to drive. Does anyone else have any experience to share on this? He doesn’t get enough sleep, not least because of having to get up many times in the night to go to the bathroom. He does sometimes (albeit rarely) nod off momentarily during the day without being aware. Should he consider giving up driving? Or look to ask for changes / additions to his current medication? Also can the sudden lapses be due to a different cause - not least caused by PD - other than sleep deprivation?

[MarionP]

For whether to drive you need a lot of context, meaning you have to give a pretty full and complete physical presentation of all his conditions and age before anybody could confidently answer that one, so if you don't put up much, I wouldn't expect much... Remember he is driving a weapon, so if someone is thinking about giving up driving it means they probably already have more good reason to do so then you've let on here. It means he is already concerned and thinking about all the harm that could happen, because many people do not consider giving up driving willingly, and often when it is way past the time to do so, not least to an innocent bystander, so it's not a simple matter because he is probably thinking of it for good reason. Something got him thinking about this, was it a near miss navigating a busy roundabout or schoolyard or a ditch? Thus since he is the one thinking about it and here's the driver, it's a pretty good real life and proportion signal that it is time to go see a doctor.

[Bunny622023 in reply to MarionP]

Totally agree with you as well MarionP.

To me - I think when the question is asked, then that person is already 'for a reason' asking it and wondering. Meds can do weird things, especially Requip - makes people have sleep attacks. Sinemet makes some people think they are 'flying' and they don't have PD at all until it wears off.

SUCH a difficult question. No-one really wants to give up driving, and my husband is one of those - 61 yrs old - always been a fast driver, bit of a motorhead, motorcycler ALL his life but to me, when meds or just PD progression get in the way I feel he should give up.

But how and what will make him give up the wheel, I HOPE " FOR GODS SAKE" it won't be when an accident happens..... for all our sakes. Unfortunately it's not my choice and if cognitive testing shows things are ok, then I don't have a leg to stand on. I'm hoping he will just decide it's time.

[beckyjorf in reply to Bunny622023]

Dear Bunny622023, please see my reply to MarionP. Thank you too for your comment and as with MarionP’s answer, this has helped to support conversations in the past weeks.

[beckyjorf in reply to MarionP]

Dear MarionP, Thank you for your very considered and far seeing reply, and apologies for not replying before. Your response helped to get the discussion going and the upshot is that my friend is going to visit his doctor this week to discuss his nodding off, but in the meantime he is not driving. It is the right thing to do, for others as well as himself. Of course, he is very upset about the prospect as he has always enjoyed driving, and this may exacerbate his PD - as happened last year when his dog became very ill. However those around him need to bolster him up and assure him that while he is no longer driving, there are other ways of getting around and it will be alright. All best wishes.

[Bunny622023 in reply to beckyjorf]

Thanks beckyjorf