When it come to diminished capacity like it or not someone does make that decision for you. It can be the court or a doctor. When a person can not do what is needed to perform tasks like take their medicine, use a stove, bath or drive they can be forced to do things whether they like it or not. Their inability to perform tasks that are endangering others or themselves is evaluated by doctors and the courts. Say for instance an elderly person is driving and mistakes the gas for the brake and plows into a bunch of school kids getting off a bus. Well, that's stupid. They go to court and the judge can take away their license to drive. Children of elderly might even contact the police or dept of safety to explain their parents are not capable to drive and have the license taken. If a person is too forgetful to take the proper dose of medicine or set up their pill box then they can be deemed a danger to themselves by the doctor or PA. Seen it happen many times at the facility my Mom was at. My Mother in law is now right near the time when they will tell her she can't be in the independant living side b/c she too confused with her meds. My wife has to go set up the pills. She takes Coumindin and the doses change. She can't decide if they told her she needs the brown pill or the pink one. Twice she's taken the wrong dose and could have bleed to death. She's just another fall away from being sent over to the assisted living side so nurses can give her the meds on time and find her if she falls. This is where one's family or health care directive is very important. The doctors and family must evaluate the patient and realize the dangers the patient is presenting to themselves and society. My father in law did not want to stop driving but he was way past being able to safely drive. Finally my brother in law took his keys. We all had to chip in to make sure to get him and my mother in law to their appointments. After a few months he relented when he realized he could barely stand up. I'm just trying to show that at some point you have to give up things that you have "always done". You may even be forced to give up doing things by "someone else". BTW, I am not anti gun. I just don't want to see someone getting hurt by a person that clearly shouldn't be handling a weapon, driving a car, cooking or smoking while using oxygen.
