The next time Bob Wood goes for a ride down Bob Wood Drive, he will do so while sitting anywhere but the driver's seat.
Former MP and radio personality Wood and wife Carol recently took part in a virtual ceremony marking the renaming of a City of North Bay street in Wood's honour.
See related story: 'Bob Wood had drive' and now has one to call his own
As much as he'd like to drive himself down Bob Wood Drive, it is not meant to be. And, he says he's fine with that.
Bob, who is living with Alzheimer's, and companion and caregiver Carol, noticed some memory and cognitive lapses that made them question Bob's ability to continue to drive safely.
So, Bob gave it up cold turkey and retired his driver's licence.
"It is one of the hardest decisions I've had to make but I know, in my heart, it is the right thing to do," he says.
Since Bob's diagnosis, the Woods have been sharing their journey while raising awareness about living with dementia. A bridge the families of loved ones living with Alzheimer's often must cross has to do with whether to continue driving.
Bob, who stopped driving in mid-January, says a real eye-opener came when he could not remember how to get to his friend's house — who lived only two blocks away.
"A couple of times, I had to call Carol for directions," he says. "I really had to park my ego, so to speak. I didn't want to be in a situation where I harmed anybody. You think about those things if I happened to make a mistake and caused them some harm."
Bob adds, "I just said, 'To hell with it, it will be alright.' Thank goodness, Carol's here with me."
One of his initial concerns was his mobility would be limited. He wants to get to the coffee shop regularly once pandemic restrictions are lifted to meet with his buddies. Now, he says, he'll take a taxi or one of his friends will come by to pick him up.
The Woods are happy to share their story in hopes of reaching other families facing similar decisions. Carol hopes Bob's decision to retire his licence presents an opportunity for folks to have these important discussions.
The Woods also give many thanks to the team at Alzheimer Society of Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay & Districts, who have helped them tremendously on their journey with resources, and highly recommend their services.
"The instances where he had to ask me for directions," Carol says, "opened the door to having those tough conversations. It's not an easy conversation to have as a spouse or for adult children. It's a tough one. I think Bob could see it was time."
"I'm glad I had the opportunity to do it on my own," Bob offers, "and not have someone take it from me."
Carol adds, "I think you don't always know it's the right time for that discussion until it's too late. I take tremendous pride in Bob making this decision."