MISSING: Wilber A. Smith

From Meredith Rodriguez: A man who suffers from dementia went missing from his Overland Park home Tuesday morning. Wilber A. Smith, 71, was last seen at 9 a.m. He was last known to be driving a burgundy 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup with Kansas tags WMH 286. The pickup has a damaged driver’s side mirror.

Smith may have been wearing a T-shirt and either tan pants or blue jeans.Anyone with information on Smith’s whereabouts is asked to call the Overland Park Police Department at 913-895-6300.

Comments

[kybo61]

Some of the commenters on the original story expressed concern that there isn't a way to prevent individuals like Mr. Smith (and Mrs. Reese earlier in the week) from driving, and therefore leaving their homes alone when they are confused. Older people value their independence and family requests to stop driving may go unheeded. Short of families taking away the keys, I wonder if it isn't time that states started looking at elder competency as a safety issue. California has one such program, where a law enforcement officer, physician, relative or friend who is concerned about the way a senior is driving may refer the person to DMV for a driving test. The test may result in no change to the license, an area-restricted license, a suspension or a revocation.

[c8h10n4o2]

The can do that here as well. Our problem was that my step grandparent drove just fine when someone (the DMV tester) was telling her where to go. When she pulled out of her driveway by herself, however, she'd be lost and panicking in about 10 minutes, even just driving to the store 10 blocks away.

[SJ]

My dad drove longer than he should have because my mom was afraid of upsetting him. When she finally told him he had to give her his keys, he just handed them over without question - and never drove again. (She hid the keys so he couldn't get them if the mood struck.) It can be difficult and heartbreaking to do, but it MUST be done for the person's own safety, as well as the safety of others on the road.

[X]

Another old nut job on the loose in JoCo. What ... is there a convention of old nut jobs somewhere in the county?

[supra shoes]

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