When It's Time To Renew Your Driver's License
Most of us got our drivers license when we were in high school, adolescence seemed to revolve around driving. It was a HUGE event in our lives and when we managed to afford our first car...it may have been a klunker...but it meant independence!
Fast forward and we are no longer jumping up and down to drive to the grocery store for last minute ingredients, to pick up our kid brother from school or to run any other errand for the sole purpose of driving. Most of us now thrive on the independence that our license affords us without thinking at all about that day we hopped, skipped and jumped to the the DMV for our first drivers test.
Fast forward again and we have been diagnosed with a neurological disease; Parkinson's. Fortunately, many people living with Parkinson’s continue to drive safely for many years after their diagnosis. Retiring our privilege to drive can be an emotional change, even when it is voluntary.
One of our Boxers needs your input. He is still driving locally to get to the gym, to the grocery store, post office, to pick up lunch etc. He has chosen only to drive in daylight, good weather, NOT on the highway. He knows when he is having an "off " day and refrains from driving at all. However...the time has come to renew his drivers license. Because of the Parkinson's Diagnosis he is been told he needs to schedule a 4 hour cognitive test to determine his driving fate.
While our Boxer is confident about his ability to drive, he is concerned about the duration of this cognitive test, he doesn't feel he has the stamina for the 4 hour test and is sure it will seal his fate for this cherished bit of independence he holds onto dearly.
He is looking for advise, have any of you found yourself in a similar situation? Have any of you taken the 4-hour cognitive test recently? If so can you share a tidbit of your experience, the name of an advocate, were you able to split up the timing of this test?
He will update us on his outcome but in the meantime leave your thoughts, comments, encouragement below.