My Mom had dementia, and after one incident where she drove the wrong way to a neighbor's house, Dad convinced her the police had pulled her license. That and he hid the car keys.

Granted, elders need some form of independence, but when they start to become a danget to themselves and/or others, it's time to do something.

DW's aunt lived in an assisted living center, where she had her own apartment, could cook her own meals or go to the dining hall. The staff checked on the residents daily, if not more. There were trips to the supermarket and the mall quite frequently, as well as movie nights.

I agree with Ajax, do something for this guy before he hurts himself.

"...He left his favorite restaurant in Cave Creek, Harold's Corral, Monday night and made a wrong turn on his way home..."

If that's not a giant sign for his family to step in and start addressing the dementia, nothing is.

JBMat: "My Mom had dementia, and after one incident where she drove the wrong way to a neighbor's house, Dad convinced her the police had pulled her license."

Thanks for the idea. I'll use that tactic, too.

I think this is more a case of Gumping (as in Forrest) his way through a crisis. At 84, and a bit of dementia, I think he was just not coherent or rational enough to save himself.

That said, hey, good for him he lived. Plenty of people a 1/4 his age don't in stranded situations.

A good argument for kits in every car. All my cars have, at a minimum
Matches, candles, food, snow shovel & a sleeping bag.


Would onstar have helped?

OnStar uses cellular technology. It has the advantage of a better antenna than a handheld, but ultimately, it is cellular. It runs on the car battery. It may have been able to be used if there was enough residual power left at some point.

One advantage of OnStar is that it automatically calls for aid if the airbags deploy.

True, but that doesn't appear to be the case in this incident.