I keep reading all these posts that people with dementia cannot be held accountable for their actions. We have just initiated the POA and are in the process of peeling the onion. We are working diligently to put a plan in place but we cant just take the keys yet. Parents live at home, wont allow anyone in. Wont allow a driver. And are really ticked at us right now for getting into their business. They go out every day for lunch and dinner. If they have a car accident, are we liable as POAs?
Meanwhile, contact the police and provide them with the information. Tell your father that you are doing that, and that if he continues to drive he will be driving unlicensed and uninsured which - presumably? - is an offence.
I'm not sure about your liability. I suppose it would depend on what you are doing about either getting the keys to the truck or, alternatively, incapacitating the truck. If your father's dementia is well documented and your POA is now in force, you probably do have the authority to have his truck taken away.
Why not just call your local police and ask their advice. But he has to stop driving, NOW.
And do it.
Take heart, by the way. For what it costs to own and run a car they can buy an awful lot of cab journeys. Their dining out days needn't be over quite yet.
Also, without any exception, the moment you know that one of them is behind the wheel, report them, for their own and the public safety.
The POA lists what you are responsible for once you spring it.
POA is revocable by the principal whether mind is sound or not. Save yourself a lot of grief, call the clerk they will have the answer you look for.
Good Luck
If they have an accident you will STILL feel like poo, and more to the point they and potentially other people may be injured or killed.
Perhaps you'd best work hard on the 'quit while you're ahead' argument: an honourable retirement from driving, with a long, unblemished record, is something to be very proud of. And will entitle them to become official back seat drivers for the rest of their lives… enjoy!
Your other means of getting them off the road is to send a letter to their insurance company, along with MD statements outlining their maladies.
Finally, if you can, videotape them driving erratically. If the corners of the vehicle are damaged, photograph it, send it in. If you see evidence of hit-and-run, like a long scrape along the side, notify the police, ask for help getting them off the road.
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