Posted On: November 4, 2015 by National Seating & Mobility in: Community Occupational Therapy
Have you ever wondered if an older friend or relative is still safe to drive? An Occupational Therapist can conduct a driving evaluation and make sure your loved one is still able to drive safely. Warning signs that an evaluation might be necessary may include:
- Leaning towards an object when trying to view it.
- Poor coordination when trying to find or pick up objects.
- Driving too fast or too slow for the current road conditions.
- Having a hard time staying in the lane.
- Difficulty seeing at night.
An OT driving evaluation should take place whenever there is doubt about a client's ability to drive due to age or medical condition. Most evaluations will include a clinical evaluation and an on-road evaluation.
Clinical evaluation:
- Visual screening.
- Physical evaluation (movement, strength and control).
- Memory and reaction time evaluation.
- Driving history.
On-road evaluation:
- Cognitive/behavioral skills.
- Visual/perceptual skills.
- Responses to all traffic environments.
Read more on the Older Drivers In Canada website. From CAOT (the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists), this website has extensive information, resources and reading material for therapists, clients and family members.
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