Riding Along in My Automobile

APR in 1951 - Just Married!

 What happens when you leave one very bored person in the car while you have your nails and hair done?  Well, if they don't have Alzheimer's and have something to do, they take the car and go run errands.  If you've done this over the years, and really don't have much to do, you go find a friend with whom you can visit.  When you have Alzheimer's and suddenly the car is gone, with you driving it, well, it's a bit scary!

My mother looked up and APR was gone!  The car was gone with him driving it.  The past few months, here in town, two men have gone off like this, one of them ending up dead of exposure after having become disoriented.  My father's sense of direction is shot.  So is his driving judgement.

Naturally, my mother panicked.  I was at the beauty shop myself, so I didn't answer the phone.  Fortunately, the woman who was doing her nails took off, looking for him.  So did my best friend, Josie, who has her shop across the road.  Josie simply told her customers to fend for themselves.

They found him at The Title Company, visiting with the owner, who knows he has Alzheimer's.  The only real damage done was to my mother's nerves.

She was furious with me for now answering the phone.  In her panic, she forgot his phone number.  He had his cell with him the whole time.  I was still having my hair done when she dropped him by to stay with me, while she had another appointment.

He was so funny!
Very proud of himself. 
When he came in, sitting down, he announced, "I guess I'll be eating Kal-Can for awhile."  I told him I'd heard he would be eating it for a month!

Moral of the story:  Never leave a person with Alzheimer's alone in the car with a set of keys!



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