Can they still use public transport? How to keep outings safe?

My mum always used to take the bus everywhere. Now she has got the route wrong twice. How do I know when it's no longer safe?

Public transport requires a chain of abilities that dementia silently dismantles: knowing the destination, choosing the right line, getting off at the correct stop, reacting to unforeseen events. The mistakes you describe are a sign that the chain has started to fail — and a bus mistake can turn into hours of disorientation in an unfamiliar place.

Intermediate phase: adapt before prohibiting

While familiar routes are still going well, reduce the risk: only known and direct routes (without changing lines), a card in their pocket or wallet with their name, address, and your phone number, a mobile phone with your number on speed dial, and — if they accept — a simple tracker (on their phone or a keyring). Agree on fixed times: if they haven't arrived by 5 pm, you know you should act.

When to stop — and how

Stop when there are repeated mistakes, episodes of disorientation, or an inability to ask for help. Instead of announcing a prohibition («you can't take the bus anymore»), substitute it: start accompanying them «because you also need to go to town», organise lifts from family members, use a taxi or community transport from the local council/organisations. The need behind the bus is rarely the bus itself — it's the outing, the coffee, the church. Keep the destination, change the means.