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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Alzheimer's disease and driving
— prediction and assessment of driving ability | | Author(s) | Gillian K Fox, Stephen C Bowden, Guy M Bashford |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 45, no 8, August 1997 |
| Pages | pp 949-953 |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Screening ; Driving capability ; Evaluation ; Australia. |
| Annotation | 19 subjects with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were examined for driving competence at the Coorabel Driver Assessment Centre of the Royal Rehabilitation Centre in Sydney, Australia. The validity of a standardised medical examination, including administration of the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and standardised neuropsychological assessment as predictors of open road driving performance. 7 subjects passed the on-road driving evaluation, and 12 failed. MMSE was found to be a significant predictor of final on-road result. The physician's prediction, the neuropsychology test scores, and the neuropsychologist's prediction were not found to be significantly associated with the final on-road result. The on-road driving evaluation was a reliable test. Inasmuch as all subjects except one were still driving and all wished to continue to drive, it is important to note that 63.2% of subjects failed the on-road evaluation. Conversely, 36.8% were judged safe to drive, suggesting that AD diagnosis alone may be insufficient criteria for cessation of driving. A standardised road test may be the only appropriate means of determining driving competence in those diagnosed with AD. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-981026002 A |
| Classmark | EA: 3V: OPF: 4C: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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