Dementia and Driving

Posted on | May 21, 2010

There is no question that a person who gets lost when taking a walk should not be behind the wheel of a car and thus there is no question that a person with full blown dementia should not be driving. However it is tricky to say exactly when a person’s dementia has gotten to a point where it is no longer safe for them to drive. When in its early stages, dementia barely inhibits a person at all, and thus makes it no more dangerous for them to be behind a wheel than as with any other person. So when exactly is it that the license should be taken away… how do we tell, and how do we handle this situation with care?

Well I just read an amazing article that breaks it down into a 30 point scale which essentially says that any person that scores above a 26 on this scale is no longer fit to drive. Some of the credential on this scale is as follows:

• Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score 0.5 or higher (Level A)
• Caregiver rating of patient’s driving ability as marginal or unsafe (level B)
• Recent history of traffic citations (Level C)
• Recent history of accidents (Level C)
• Reduced driving mileage–less than 60 miles per week (Level C)
• Self-reported avoidance of driving situations (Level C)
• Minimental status scores of 24 or less (Level C)
• Aggressive/impulsive personality behaviors (Level C)

More on this subject can be found by reading the Evaluation and management of driving risk in dementia. Which can be found here:

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/74/16/1316

and by reading my source blog found here:

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/05/patients-dementia-stop-driving.html/comment-page-1#comment-134545

Academics Blogs

Category: Aging in America, Alzheimer's/Dementia Care
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