Bicycling.com published an article last week called, “Alzheimer’s Couldn’t Stop My Father From Riding.” While this title sounds upbeat, the article was actually about how the writer’s father, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, would ride his bike nearly every day and often get lost and not return for hours. He would end up at a stranger’s home, get picked up by police, or, one time, a stranger picked him up and drove him around for 3 hours until he recognized where he was and could get home.

This article really got me thinking about what can happen when an avid cyclist, like the father in the story, refuses to stop riding. We think a lot about how to stop a person with dementia from driving, but this is the first time I’ve really been called on to think about how to handle a loved one who insists on riding 60-100 miles in a demented state.

My husband and I talked about it and he would be much like the father in the article – no matter how many times I tried to hide his bike, he would find it and insist on riding. Would I really be able (or want) to stop him? Of course I would not want him to get hurt, but how could I refuse him the one activity that would bring him joy?

It is painful to think about, and it just reinforces our decision to do everything possible to avoid dementia, including giving up sweets, processed foods, and other harmful carbs.