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He did not stop driving. He is blind. He is angry and never wants to see me again.

Hiya - I’m going through the same thing. Mom is 79 and although we are waiting for the official diagnosis of dementia, she does have cognitive impairment.

She recently moved in with me and I told her no driving (she also has severe mobility issues) as she is now an hour from her old life and I will take her anywhere she wants to go (so far it’s been shopping, bingo, out for lunch, etc). Yup, she hates me. My brother even took her keys so she can’t drive - still hates me.

The neurologist told her no driving until the next pet-scan, she agreed… and then called her pcp to drive again. At this point, the neurologist is informing the DMV and it’s out of my hands. Guess what… still hates ME.

I don’t have answers for you, but know you aren’t alone.
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Reply to LadyVee
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A person with Dementia should not be driving. If he is legally blind, he should not be driving and his doctor should have told him this.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Yes, you did the right thing and he WILL get over it. Even if he doesn't, you still did the right thing. If he's hating you over this, then this speaks to his cognitive condition, which is impaired.
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Reply to Geaton777
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You did the right thing by removing his car.

If you allowed him to keep the car and he hurt himself or someone else, then you would hate yourself and never get over it. You are now the adult in this relationship, and that means making hard and unpopular decisions.

Yes, it's hurtful that he is angry at you, but he is old, and old age includes so many losses and many things to be angry about.

Often that anger is directed to whoever is closest, because he is no longer capable of understanding logic and reason. It's not that different than a parent taking a favorite toy away from a child, and having that child cry "I hate you!"
They don't really hate you, they just hate the strong emotions they are feeling.

Commiserate with him and blame it on a 3rd party like the DMV, the law, or the government, so he feels like you're on his side.
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Reply to Dogwood63
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Sandra2424 10 hours ago
Excellent advice. Thank you!
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Tell Dad he has no right to be angry with you. Tell Dad “ I didn’t make you old and blind.”
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Reply to waytomisery
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waytomisery 21 hours ago
Groceries , take out food , meds, clothing etc can be delivered these days.
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Tell him the doctor said he can’t drive because he’s blind .Rinse and repeat as necessary .
Let him be angry. It is not your job to please him.
I for one am totally over the madness when a very elderly person keeps trying to drive when they shouldn’t.
My grandfather took my great grandfather’s car away the first time he got lost. There was no drama or feeling bad about it . It was just taken away as a matter of fact .
I would not put up with any drama over this . He’s blind so no driving , it’s that simple .
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Reply to waytomisery
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It hurts for him to be so angry at you, but you did the right thing for his safety as well as everyone else's.

Is he frequently angry? If so, talk to his doctor(s) about medications to calm him. If it's just over this thing, he'll get over it eventually.
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Reply to MG8522
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Oh well.
Too bad, so sad.

He will get over it eventually. You very obviously did the right thing.
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Reply to southernwave
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Your father doesn't hate you, he's just mad that one more thing has been taken away regarding his independence, and that can be a hard pill for some of us to swallow.
You did the right thing, and are keeping innocent people safe on the roadways by taking his car and not taking the chance of him killing someone with it. So rest in the knowledge of that.
And just give your father time, with having dementia, eventually he'll forget all about it.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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How is your father still driving if he is blind??
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Reply to lealonnie1
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funkygrandma59 Mar 6, 2026
Good question.
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Kikuyu, welcome to the forum. I can understand your Dad being upset that his car was taken away, it would be no different that if that happened to a teenager with his/her car. Car is freedom.


We must remember, that if we take something away from an elder, such as a car, we need to put into place an easy way for that elder to get to the store, etc. Is there a senior bus service or local taxi cab company that caters to seniors?


I see you had clicked on Alzheminer's/Dementia. Eventually your Dad will forget about the car and why he is angry with you.
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Reply to freqflyer
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Beethoven13 22 hours ago
Maybe the elderly person should have thought about that and planned ahead? To spare their adult child. Perhaps they are emotionally immature parents of adult children? Much to be learned if this hits home. You did the right thing taking the keys. Don’t let him guilt you. Read and learn.
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