My dad hid my mums car in the garage and said it was having work done when she became unsafe to drive. When we told my dad he was no longer allowed to drive (the hospital said so) he kept saying he would be able to in a bit when he was better . When my sister and I said he really couldn’t he sort of immediately fell asleep. We thought he’d had a stroke or something but it was the stress and realisation that he could no longer drive (he loved driving) that kind of made him shut down. He did wake up again later!
When my grandfather hit 90, we told him to keep his car only in case of emergency. We lived 5 min away so it would not really be needed, but he could "keep" his car. One day, he was arguing that he never had an accident and how safe he always been while driving. He was quite a proud old man, so I replied it was a great record, but how sad would it be to end it by hitting somebody, or a child, at 90's year old? And what would people remember ... ? The old Jean who drove till 90 without accident, or that old stupid Jean who hit a pedestrian at 90? He never drove again.
That's the realisation that upsets us as much as it will upset my aunt - though I'm not sure how much it has sunk in yet. Went round this morning and emptied the car of belongings. Easy to get into though I don't think my bro in law checked if the back doors were locked , might have to get the battery back in it.
First I found my dad was putting post-it notes on his steering wheel to remind him where he was going even though he only ever went a mile to Sainsburys. Next up he had to call the garage and the AA because the car would only go about 20mph and wouldn't change gear (auto - he had it in 1st). He said he'd been about 30 miles like that but couldn't remember where he'd been. At about the same time an old boy near where I live pulled out of a junction and drove happily on the wrong side of the road until he had a head-on on the brow of a bridge. That was the last straw. Had a word with his GP who got him in on a false pretence then found him unfit to drive. He couldn't argue with that. He was about 85 at the time and had driven all his life without an accident.
Ah ... but has anyone been a night time passenger in their v elderly Parent's car when said Parent donned the sunglasses because of the cataract inducing glare??
She is still putting up a fight and demanding her car keys But I am not even considering leaving them in her house and I just know she will 'forget' and go shopping or something. The In-Laws are going round today and hopefully organising getting the car moved to a repair shop to sort out the ding she had in the church car park that she doesn't remember doing.
