Re: Riding safety with Alzheimer's?

On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 17:36:44 -0800, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com>
wrote:

On 3/8/25 3:35 PM, Catrike Ryder wrote:

Hyundai Elantra. On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 14:43:12 -0800, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com> wrote:

 

In my volunteer work I sometimes deal with folks who have dementia, in
this case Alzheimer's. Today we did a very long walk together. He is
athletic and used to be a powerful high-mileage road bike rider so no
problems in the power and endurance domain. The disease has progressed
to the point where he would become disoriented on the roads or maybe
ride into freeway onramps and such. So he needs a companion. No problem,
that would be me. When I suggested that his (otherwise now quite
passive) eyes began to gleam.
>
Like in this paper he has lost the ability to shift and since we live in
the hills this means trucking our bikes into the flatlands where you can
remains in the same gear the whole ride:
>
https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/cycling-dementia/
>
We would stick to bike paths, preferably ones with a low amount of
traffic and definitely not many pedestrians. About 20mi from here we
have an almost perfect one that is about 15mi long and has no posted
speed limit:
>
https://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/images/fsc-new.jpg
>
I will also switch out his pedals from clip-in to flat MTB pedals, don't
want to risk him not getting a foot out and fall (he is >70). I always
carry a first aid kit.
>
My question is, what else should I prepare for? Searches on the web
didn't reveal much, other than that cycling is beneficial in slowing the
progress of such diseases.
>
We'll see how the first rides go. If very well then there will be other
questions, such as whether there is a road bike bike with automatic
transmission. Maybe based on Di2. They offer it but AFAIK only for
electric MTB and maybe it can be adapted to non-electric road bikes:
>
https://velo.outsideonline.com/ebike/shimano-introduces-automatic-di2-shifting/
>
Of course, if the guy turns out to be a lot faster than I am and leaves
me in the dust that could present a very different problem :-)

 
I dealt with Alzheimer's people when I volunteered at assisted living
homes. Some do well under supervision, but others don't, have a mind
of their own and can be unpredictable. You know the guy so you choose.
Might be a good case for a tandem.
 

>
Thanks, Solomon. Unfortunately I or anyone around me don't have a
tandem. He is mild-mannered and listens well.
>
I know it can be different. I volunteered in the memory care section of
care homes, mainly because hardly anyone else wanted to go in there.
Some folks can turn rather violent but it's not them, it's the disease
doing that.

+1
Yes, it's the disease. My wife, who worked in assisted living homes as
an activities director always said something like that. She's retired
now and I'm eighty so neither of us are involved and almost all of the
attachments we made have passed on but we still maintain contact with
a couple residents. THis is one who didn't make it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/j_soloman/with/53910283643

--
C'est bon
Soloman