When you are helping the person with dementia renew their driver’s licence, you will discover that most, if not all, provinces and territories require that people with dementia declare that they have dementia when they renew their licence. All medical conditions that can affect driving must be declared. In addition, most, if not all, motor vehicle insurance policies include a clause that requires the person with dementia to tell their insurer that they have a medical condition that can affect their driving. To get around without driving, ask your family/friend carers and doctor to help you come up with an alternative transportation plan (click here). Below are some alternative transportation options based on where you live in Canada, as well as additional information about licensing and reporting.
If you, or other family or friends, are concerned that the person's dementia may be affecting their ability to drive safely, try talking to them about it. If they are not open to discussing your concerns, consider talking to the person with dementia’s healthcare professionals. In addition, in many provinces and territories, the person with dementia’s family and friends, as well as concerned citizens, can report unsafe driving to the drivers' licensing authority. For more information, please click on the region where you live below.
Please note, in some cases, although the link below provides this information, it also includes other information. You will have to browse through the link.
In other cases, because this information is not available, we have included a link to the closest relevant information on the licensing authority website. This way, you can follow up directly with the authority to find out more.
These links were available as of September 2022.
All provinces and territories require some form of reporting by healthcare professionals of medical conditions that affect driving. Dementia is one such health condition that could affect driving ability. In many cases, healthcare professionals have a duty to make this report. For more information, please click on the region where the person with dementia lives.
To determine if the person with dementia can continue driving and if so, to what extent, the driver’s licensing authority in most provinces and territories may request that the person with dementia take a comprehensive driving evaluation, which is sometimes called a functional assessment. It typically includes two parts: an in-office evaluation and an on-road driving evaluation. For more information, please click on the region where the person with dementia lives.
Most provinces and territories have a process for appealing licence suspensions. For more information, please click on the region where you live.
You can provide support for the person with dementia by helping them come up with an alternative transportation plan (click here). Here are some specific ideas to consider based on where the person with dementia lives in Canada. These links were available as of September 2022.
Click on each organization's name below. After reviewing, when you close the organization's web page, it will automatically take you back to here. These links were available as of September 2022.
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