 | Torey Shackelford, OTR, has 10 years experience in health care as an occupational therapist, registered. Torey works in the outpatient department at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, where he provides occupational therapy and oversees the driving evaluation program. An affiliate of HEALTHSOUTH, Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital is a provider of inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech/language therapies.
Tory can be reached at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, 8338 W. 13th Street in Wichita, 316-729-1095. |
Health & Medicine
1969-12-31 18:00:00
Driving tests for senior citizens
Answer: A driving evaluation would give you a good idea about your mother’s ability to continue operating a vehicle. Performed by a specially trained therapist, a driving evaluation assesses a person’s physical and cognitive capabilities behind the wheel.
In addition to being an ideal way to verify whether an aging parent or someone with declining health or vision is still able to drive, a driving evaluation can determine if a person can be on the road after recovering from an illness such as a stroke, amputation, head injury, or a condition affecting the body’s neurological system. Such conditions often reduce the physical, sensory, or motor abilities needed to get behind the wheel, but through rehabilitative therapies, many patients can regain their independence, including the ability to drive.
A comprehensive driving evaluation consists of in-clinic, behind-the-wheel, and post-driving assessments that gauge a person’s mental status, physical conditioning and coordination, and overall skills as they pertain to the task of driving.
The evaluation typically begins with a series of in-clinic assessments that examine the individual’s mental status, vision, muscle strength, reflexes, range of motion, balance, and coordination. If the individual passes these tests, they advance to in-automobile tests that begin in the safety of a parking lot and progress to more complicated and challenging driving situations on public streets and highways. These more advanced tests occur as the individual proves capable at each level of testing.
After completion of the evaluation, the driving specialist meets with the individual and family members to discuss results and to make recommendations regarding driving status or adaptive aids that may be needed. A copy of the evaluation is also sent to the individual’s physician.
Although driving evaluations are not covered by Medicare or private insurance providers, the cost of the service is typically regarded as an affordable option for determining an individual’s ability to continue driving. An individual’s physician must prescribe a driving evaluation in order for the assessment to be performed.
