Thousands of elderly adults are killed every year in motor vehicles crashes and hundreds of thousands of people every year end up in the emergency department as a result of car accidents that involve seniors. What that basically means is that many people are injured or killed every single day due to elderly drivers who are no longer fit to operate a vehicle. The use of a vehicle is considered to be a highly important factor in the day to day lives of most people. It is important to many because it provides independence and freedom – for many people their livelihoods are tied to their vehicles and they need to drive to do daily activities such as shopping and going to appointments, but at a certain point many people reach a stage where they are no longer fit to drive.  The thought of having a license revoked can be quite confronting and can make people feel that they are isolated from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, in some cases it is necessary to revoke a license. GP’s and driving evaluation for senior’s assessment can help to determine someone’s fitness to drive.

There are a number of other medical conditions out there that can also impact a drivers ability to drive such as people suffering from hypoglycaemia and epilepsy – drivers who suspect they may be impaired should speak to their GP or attend and assessment.

Older drivers in Australia

There are many older drivers in Australia – most of whom are fit to drive but some who are not. It can be difficult to determine fitness, especially for elderly people suffering from progressive diseases like Alzheimer’s. So what can we do and how can we decide when it’s time for them to stop driving?

Driving evaluation for seniors is one of the best ways to assess whether elderly drivers are still safe to be on the road. In Australia driving evaluation for senior’s procedures take place in advanced age. People over the age of 85 are required to renew their license every year by taking part in driving evaluation for seniors tests and assessments.

Why it’s important?

Many elderly people do not realise when their cognitive abilities are on the decline and may not recognise when their ability to safely drive is on the decline. It is common for many people to suffer from cognitive difficulties due to failing health and progressive diseases associated with old age. In order to ensure that our roads are safer, elderly drivers are asked to submit to regular assessments and driver evaluation for seniors to renew their licenses. These assessments aim to assess the elderly drivers ability to safely operate a vehicle. It will check that they are able to remain attentive in the vehicle and that they can correctly judge situations.

Those being assessed are asked to complete computerised driving evaluation of senior tests which check reaction times and the ability of drivers to correctly understand the rules of the road. They can help examiners to understand how consistently drivers can react and respond appropriately in situations on the road.

Additionally, drivers may undertake practical tests to check their awareness and ability on the road. During these tests the visual, cognitive and decision-making abilities of the driver are assessed. Drivers will have to show that they can safely perform in a vehicle which means they’ll need to appropriately stop at traffic lights, park and stop as well as respond to hazards on the road under different conditions.

Hopefully this information about driving evaluation for seniors has been helpful for you.

Degenerative brain diseases can often be widely misunderstood, leading many to overestimate/underestimate the effect they have on someone’s ability to continue everyday activities and be trusted with certain responsibilities. One of these considerations many people need to face with their elderly family members is whether or not to support/allow them to continue driving with dementia.

To help families make an authoritative decision that helps to protect their elderly relative and the wider community/other road users, there are several mechanisms to test someone’s ability when driving with dementia. The following will take a look at the importance of this testing.

How can this condition affect the ability to operate a vehicle?

When it comes to driving with dementia or other degenerative brain diseases, and assessing someone’s ability to do so, you must understand that as a degenerative condition it will begin with light symptoms and gradually get worse. This can make it difficult to determine when exactly someone’s has crossed the threshold of no longer being safe to operate a vehicle with their degenerative brain disease, and this reinforces the importance of professional testing.

Things like hearing, vision, reaction time, problem-solving, coordination, alertness, direction confusion and mood swings are all things that need to be considered when looking at someone’s ability to continue driving with dementia. Without testing for these things at the first diagnosis of the condition, it can be difficult to notice the subtle deterioration in their ability until it is too late.

An inconvenient truth

The main thing to understand about driving with dementia and the necessity to test it is that it is for the safety of everyone. It can be very difficult for someone who has used a car without issue all their life to be told they can no longer do so, especially if they haven’t had an accident yet and it is a purely precautionary measure once a decrease in their ability is perceived.

While you may notice an elderly relative become worse while driving with dementia, they could be stubborn and refuse to acknowledge it, insisting that they are fine. Some of the symptoms of their condition may also worsen their reaction to you and others who have good intentions, and they may exhibit feelings of paranoia and anger.

Nobody likes to feel patronised or babied, so it’s best to approach this situation in a calm, rational way that examines the facts and engages with the cognitive ability they still have. Sometimes there may be no way to reconcile the problem, and they will need to have their keys forcibly taken from them/their vehicle impounded and their license revoked.

While these measures may seem harsh to take with someone you love, they are ultimately an act of love since you don’t want to see them get hurt or cause harm to others. In most cases, you can assume that, if their mental faculties were not impaired, they would agree with your decision to restrain them from driving with dementia.

Testing

When you are testing for driving with dementia, you should understand that there are different providers out there that you can engage to help you out. They will be professionals who can authoritatively determine the ability of someone to use a vehicle with this condition, and assess how impaired they truly are.

This testing process should be started as early as possible so that any issues can be identified, and the correct course of action can be taken. This is the most important aspect when you are testing the ability of someone’s ongoing driving with dementia, no matter who they are or what the circumstances happen to be.