How to keep older drivers, loved ones safe on the roads
Planning can ease driving transition for individuals with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Ohio will have more than 4.8 million residents who are 65 or older by 2030 — that’s more than 21 percent of the state’s population, based on U.S. Census data. According to the Department of Transportation, 27 percent of all Ohio drivers in 2030 will be 65 or older.
Driving requires the ability to react quickly to a variety of circumstances. Fast-moving traffic and quickly changing situations can make driving dangerous and challenging. When an individual is living with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, the risks and challenges are compounded.
Due to the cognitive impairment that dementia eventually causes, a person living with Alzheimer’s will, at some point, be unable to drive.
“Dementia can impair insight and judgment, making it difficult for people to understand that their driving may no longer be safe,” said Dayna Ritchey, programs director of the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley and Greater Cincinnati Chapters.
“In this case, you may need outside help,” Ritchey continued. “Consider asking your loved one’s primary care physician to advise the person not to drive or involve them in a family conference on driving. An outside resource familiar with dementia and driving issues may be more effective than trying to persuade the person not to drive on your own.”
A survey by Caring.com and the National Safety Council showed that 40 percent of adult children say they are not comfortable talking to their parents about driving and would rather discuss funeral arrangements or selling their home.
Ritchey said planning ahead can help ease the transition. “Before driving becomes an issue, families and caregivers should have a conversation with their loved ones about driving. This should be a compassionate conversation, as asking someone to stop driving can be perceived as a loss of independence.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are more than 421,000 unpaid caregivers of those impacted by dementia in Ohio who will eventually need to talk with their loved ones about no longer driving. The Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter, Senior Care Authority, Beyond Driving with Dignity, and the Kettering Health Neurorehab and Balance Center are a few local resources that help countless older adult drivers and families facing this challenge.
Two experts in this area are Mark and Rachel Healy, the owners of Senior Care Authority of Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Greater Dayton. They are both certified dementia practitioners and certified Beyond Driving with Dignity professionals. They help people with understanding and selecting community-based senior care solutions such as assisted living facilities, memory care or skilled nursing facilities, and assist with various issues related to older adults.
As part of their programming, Senior Care Authority offers “Beyond Driving with Dignity,” a program that provides an array of services and resources for both families and professionals as they deal with this very sensitive issue.
“Beyond Driving with Dignity facilitators are trained and
certified in the enhanced self-assessment program,” said Rachel Healy. “The goal of the program is to empower older drivers to make good decisions regarding their driving privileges. One of the keys to this program’s success is the involvement of the family in assisting the person in maintaining their independence.”
The Beyond Driving with Dignity program was created in 2008 by Matt Gurwell, who retired as assistant district commander with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The program’s mission is to provide strategies and guidance to seniors that will help them to continue driving safely until the decision is made to retire from their driving career.
“This program was created to reduce preventable traffic crashes involving older drivers that may have diminished cognitive and/or physical driving abilities. The program provides practical, real-life solutions for older drivers and their concerned families,” said Gurwell.
The topic of driving is not an easy one for families and caregivers, and as dementia can cause changes in thinking, behavior and communication, it can be a difficult one to discuss with an individual living with dementia.
“When the time comes for the older driver to give up the keys, it is important to remember that driving is one of the few ways older adults continue to feel self-sufficient,” said Mark Healy.
The Kettering Health Neurorehab and Balance Center in Centerville works with numerous drivers who are 65 and older. The center provides clinical evaluations, in-vehicle evaluations and training, alternative transportation resources, a driving simulator and occupational therapists who can help dementia patients and their families.
Doreen J. Knapke, OTR/L, CDRS, at the Kettering Health Neurorehab and Balance Center, is an occupational therapist and is also certified by the state Department of Public Safety as a driver rehabilitation specialist and a driving instructor certified by the state of Ohio. The center has four occupational therapists, and three of them are certified driver rehabilitation specialists.
“Our evaluations are a twopart process,” said Knapke. “The first part is clinical, reviewing the individual’s medical history, vision screening and any current medical conditions that may affect the person’s driving abilities and safety.”
“We also concentrate on the individual’s cognitive functions,” continued Knapke. “We utilize our driving simulator, which tests response time to different stimuli. The simulator also shows if drivers can keep the car within their lane, tests their reaction times and if they can handle multi-tasking, which is very important for safely handling changing traffic conditions.”
The second evaluation consists of an on-road assessment in a center vehicle, which has a passenger-side brake similar to driver education vehicles.
Knapke added that referrals to the center must be made by a medical professional such as a primary care physician, nurse practitioner or optometrist. The referral should indicate occupational therapy/driving evaluation, and a medical diagnosis should be listed. The clinical and on-road assessments are typically performed on separate days.
The Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter can be reached at www. alz.org/dayton or 937-2913332. Senior Care Authority of Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Greater Dayton can be reached at www.seniorcareauthority. COM/OHKY or 513-447-6990. The Kettering Neurorehab and Balance Center can be reached at www.ketteringhealth.org/services/neurorehab-balance or 937.401.6109.
Visit www.alz.org/driving for helpful information, tools and resources created by the Alzheimer’s Association with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.