Category: Let's talk
{Sydeny Reuters news} An elderly Aussie couple evaded police on a 2,300 klm {1,400 mile} chase by car and bus after setting off in protest when the wife was denied an extension to her licence due to old age.Tom and Marian Foulkes,both in their 80's,drove from their Melbourne home in the sounthern state of Victoria to the north of New South Wales and 1/2 way back again,avoiding police searching for them.At 1 stage, they had their car keys confiscated by a police officer,who thought they were disorientated,however they hit the road again in a bus..Their two weeks on the run ended on Wednesday when they were found holed up in a hotel in Canberra.
Paul Foulkes who reported his parents missing, said they were afraid of losing their independence as his Father had lost his licence.
"They wished to demonstrate that they are capable people and can manage themselves and they can drive".Foulkes told Reuters news on Thursday "The desire to be independent ,to go off its the human spirit isn't it,to want to travel especially when there are excessive restrictions put on them".Foulkes said that his parents had been maried for 38 yrs and both had varying degrees of dementia,enjoyed their escapade {its a miracle they didn't kill anyone!} "They said they had had a good time and described it all as a holiday, they weren't very happy at being caught and wanted to keep going..."
Omg, I think that's kinda stupid!
They cood have killd them self's, or someone als! My grand father got his
lysence taken away, and he is OK, with it. So I don't no what was the matter with them!
maybe due to dementia they just didn't understand the full implications of their actions..people often revert back to a kind of childhood state with that disease
Good for them! I can see why it's caused concerns, but really, is it such a tragedy? They weren't driving recklessly or breaking traffic laws (except for the lisence extention) although I have to wonder where they got the bus from... Stolen? Hired? And of course they'll be charged for it, but it's easy to see how it would rankle to be declared unfit for the roads due to age when capable of an interstate road-trip *while* avoiding the police.
I think they just jumped on a bus going in their direction..It is tragic and also extremely brave.Though I wonder how badly affected they are by dementia, as they seemed able to make all the right moves, to evade the police...
I think often it is just that older people are unable to accept that they are getting older, and that certain things they were previously able to do, are now more difficult for them. I used to work for a car insurance company, and actually, once a driver gets to 65, the premiums become more weighted due to the age of the driver. The amount of abuce I got from customers when asked to break down their premium for them and when I told them that sadly, their age did make a difference, was unbelieveable. so often they used to say "but I've been driving for 50 years!" )this from a guy who was 91), "of course i'm safe!". and sadly it's not possible to explain to a 91 year old that because of his age, his reflexes are most likely not the same, one has to generalise, because that's what the insurance companies do.
I think to generalise over an old persons ability to be independent is short sighted and very misguided..after all how can you lump them all in together when they each have differing needs and desires...