 | 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
2006-02-01 15:06:00
Is a driving evaluation necessary?
ANSWER: A driving evaluation, which is performed by a specially trained therapist, is an assessment of a person’s driving capabilities to determine if it is safe for them to get back behind the wheel. This type of evaluation is ideal for someone who is unable to drive because of disabilities resulting from stroke, spinal cord injury, neurological disease, amputation, head injury, or any other conditions that have affected physical, sensory or motor abilities. Driving evaluations typically assess a person’s mental and physical conditioning as well as their on-the-road capabilities. For example, a pre-driving evaluation may examine an individual’s muscle strength, balance, reflexes and coordination as well as their mental status and vision. If a person passes these off-road tests, they are placed behind the wheel of a vehicle to perform the specific functions involved in driving. In this level of testing, the person will be required to perform driving tasks in a parking lot as well as in traffic. If the person being evaluated successfully passes all tests, the therapist works with the individual, his or her physician, and any sponsoring agent to determine an appropriate training program and/or commercially available adaptive driving equipment. In Kansas, participation in a driving evaluation requires a person age 18 or older to have a valid driver’s permit or license.
