Highway with overpasses conveying complexity

Driving: The super-activity of daily living?

Driving is a complex task that involves many different skills and body functions. To drive safely we need to integrate our visual, cognitive, physical, and perceptual skills. We’ve asked Dr. Brenda Vrkljan to talk about how cognitive decline can impact a person’s ability to drive safely and how healthcare professionals can help evaluate a person’s fitness to drive and support them in maintaining their mobility and independence for as long as possible.

 

Learn the answers to the following questions:

  • How should a person's fitness to drive be assessed?
  • What evidence links cognitive assessment tools, like clock-drawing tests, to medical fitness to drive?
  • What other cognitive assessments may be done?
  • What are signs someone should consider stopping driving?
  • What are some of the downsides to stopping driving?
  • What should be considered when driving may no longer be an option?

 

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References

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  2. Turcotte, M. Profile of seniors' transportation habits. Can Soc Trends. 2012;93: 1-16.
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  14. Nasreddine ZS, Phillips NA, Bédirian V, et al. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: A brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53(4):695-9.
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Acknowledgements

This work is supported through the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging and funds provided by the Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. 

 

DISCLAIMER: These summaries are provided for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for advice from your own health care professional. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (info@mcmasteroptimalaging.org).