Edmonton Senior Driver Claims Elder Abuse (CANADA)

Local News

By Jerold LeBlanc

An Edmonton senior claims it was case of elder abuse when medical professionals attempted to take his driver's licence away earlier this year.

David Erisman spoke to Alberta seniors and community supports minister Mary Anne Jablonski during a meeting held at the Town of Millet Sept. 8.

Erisman, who was part of a small group representing the Elder Advocates of Alberta, said when he turned 75, he went for a medical to renew his driver's licence.

The senior said the doctor told him at the time that he was in good shape.

"He really didn't say much, marked everything off 100 per cent," said Erisman, who promptly renewed his driver's licence.

A few days later, Erisman said a nurse called asking if he would come into the doctor's office for a chat.

According to Erisman, he was asked to perform a series of tests, which he was told by the nurse that she was "going to check your brain to see if you could drive."

Erisman, who said he's never had a mark on his driver's licence, was asked a series of question and perform timed tasks such as spelling words backward.

Erisman said he was told he had failed this portion of the testing, which he added he was told was to test the front of his brain.

It was at this point, said Eisman, told the nurse he wasn't doing any more testing.

"You should have said that when you first come in that you're not doing this. Now you're on radar, and you're going to lose your driver's licence," Erismen said the nurse had told him at the time.
Erismen added he was also told he would have pay $200 and attend DriveABLE, a company dealing with driver risk management solutions.
"It was a terrible shock to me that this could happen just like that," said Erisman
He told Jablonski that he is a cattle farmer who needs a driver's licence to help look after he livelihood.
Erisman said his doctor also told him that he could pull the senior's driver's licence anytime he felt like doing so.
As a result of the treatment he received, Erisman said: "I've told all the old people, never sign nothing for doctors, and I just pulled my files out and I don't want to see another doctor. It's horrible what's happen to us."
Jablonski said it was the first she had heard that such an incident took place.
"I didn't know that somebody could be called in out of the blue, into an office, and tested. I think that we need to learn more about what happened, and why it happened.
"This has to be an issue with the doctor because that's not how we do thing," said Jablonski.
Ruth Maria Adria with Elder Advocates of Alberta, said the practice of timed tests as discriminatory in her eyes.
"You don't do that to young people when they (apply for their driver's licence)," she told Jablonski.
Adria said she had been told that the doctor wants everyone who is at least 70 to be brought in and tested.
"We find this alarming that this is happening. Seniors rights are being violated, left and right."
Addressing the driver's licence issue, Jablonski said it the first time she's ever heard of this happening.
"There is a time when (we're) testing, but as far as heavy-handed behaviour like that, I am very surprised and it's something that, I think, needs to be looked into."
Erisman did agree there are exceptions to every rule.
"I'm not saying that everybody should drive, but, I mean, I can drive," said Erisman, who recently bought a $300,000 combine.
"If I was incompetent, and I couldn't drive it, I'm sure (I wouldn't have bought it)," he said.
In the end, Erisman never had his driver's licence revoked.
"I can tell you though that if they felt that you needed to have your driver's licence removed because of some serious safety consideration, it would have been done," said Jablonski. "I'm very unclear as to what happened here."
Having not pursued the matter, Jablonski said: "In my opinion, he could have not believed that you're a serious threat to anybody then.
"I think that any doctor acting like that is inappropriate, and I'm not saying it is, but you feel that it is, you would have to go to the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons," said Jablonski.
Erisman said he wrote to the organization this past July, but has never heard anything back.
"I can tell you David, if that happened to me, I would feeling the same way that you are feeling right now."





SOURCE:    WETASKIWIN TIMES

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