Recognising that all of these can impair the ability to drive safely, the DVLA require those of us living with Parkinson’s to reapply to renew our driving licences every three years but that’s another story……. It was 18 months later that I was diagnosed and would be another 18 months before I would begin to make the connection between these experiences and the mild cognitive impairment that is common in the early stages of Parkinson’s which includes:

There are so many initially subtle and seemingly disparate changes with Parkinson’s that it can take some time to join the pieces together. I remember feeling that something had changed but couldn’t understand what or why. On the way home, the drive was no longer relaxing and I gradually stopped making those phone calls. I started to arrive at work tired from the mental challenge of the drive and in no way mentally prepared for work. I found I was unable to enjoy the view and concentrate on the road ahead, so I became oblivious to the scenery. I turned the volume of my music down and stopped singing along. Published in 1959 by Hogarth Press, it centres around Lee’s upbringing in the English Cotswolds and how his mother struggles to raise a large family on her own. Conversations with my son became stilted as I found it difficult to concentrate on our chat as well as concentrating on driving. Cider with Rosie is a memoir by Laurence Edward Alan Lee, or Laurie Lee. Navigating the twists and turns of the country roads had started to demand more of my attention as did passing parked cars and negotiating oncoming traffic.

I found I needed to concentrate harder and consequently, the drive was less relaxing and less enjoyable than it had originally been. Six months into my job, I recall thinking how strange that these familiar roads should begin to feel more difficult to navigate.

Cider with rosie story