Car insurance?

[PandyMoanyMum]

I think my mum may have the early stages of dementia. An example is that she repeats the same question within one phone call and she forgot my husband’s birthday which she would NEVER usually do. On the other hand she is still safe driving, manages to cook meals and keep her home organised.
She is aware that her memory isn’t great but she is reluctant to have any investigations. Her main worry is that her driving licence would be taken from her. At the moment she seems quite safe to me and I don’t think she needs it removed but I wondered what the impact of a dementia diagnosis would be on car insurance. I would like her to have investigations in case there is something that could slow the progress down. But the driving issue is proving a real sticking point - understandable in terms of her independence but I’d love to know how people navigate this issue.

I think that generally we often like to think that our DPs are coping when sometimes they aren't.

For example our DML could still keep house but everything was out in random places. It was put away so the house looked tidy but it was getting increasingly difficult to find anything. She was also buying things multiple times because she simply couldn't remember buying them before.

Have you been on one of these drives with her recently?

I know you said that you are happy she is safe at the moment, but here are a couple of ideas that the consultant at the memory assessment for my relative suggested that might be useful for you in the future -

• You can take a driving assessment for older people. Think there in an in-depth ones and a shorter one.

• Make a "driving retirement plan". Think about how she can maintain her independence by maybe using buses or taxis etc. How much is the £ saved on running the car and if you work it out per month, will that be sufficient for a few taxi rides etc.