Caregivers Say A Third Of Alzheimer's Patients Living At Home Have Access To Firearms
- 4 years ago
As senior citizens age and their reflexes slow, their adult children often wonder whether their parents should still be driving.
The question is even more pressing when the parent is suffering from cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease.
But cars aren't the only potentially deadly weapon a cognitively-impaired person has the right to own.
A recently published survey of caregivers revealed one-third of people with Alzheimer's disease have access to a firearm in their home.
But according to CNN, few caregivers have discussed what to do when their loved ones are unfit to handle the guns.
Most caregivers were open to discussing gun safety with doctors. However, only 5% said their health care providers had broached the subject.
Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia can cause changes in thinking and memory that could make someone unsafe to handle a gun, even if that person has a lifetime of experience. Lead researcher Associate Prof. Dr. Emmy Betz University of Colorado School of Medicine
The question is even more pressing when the parent is suffering from cognitive decline, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease.
But cars aren't the only potentially deadly weapon a cognitively-impaired person has the right to own.
A recently published survey of caregivers revealed one-third of people with Alzheimer's disease have access to a firearm in their home.
But according to CNN, few caregivers have discussed what to do when their loved ones are unfit to handle the guns.
Most caregivers were open to discussing gun safety with doctors. However, only 5% said their health care providers had broached the subject.
Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia can cause changes in thinking and memory that could make someone unsafe to handle a gun, even if that person has a lifetime of experience. Lead researcher Associate Prof. Dr. Emmy Betz University of Colorado School of Medicine