- Title
- Effect of navigation problems, assessment location, and a practice test on driving assessment performance for people with alzheimer's disease
- Creator
- Unsworth, Carolyn; Russell, Kay; Lovell, Robin; Woodward, Michael; Browne, Matthew
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/183017
- Identifier
- vital:16255
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-181069
- Identifier
- ISBN:1387-2877 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Background: People with Alzheimer's disease may be required to undertake clinical and on-road assessments to determine fitness to drive. The manner in which on-road assessments are conducted with drivers who do and do not have navigational problems may affect the outcome. Objectives: Investigate the effect of 1) navigational difficulties, 2) location of assessment (un/familiar area) and assessment order, and 3) undertaking a second assessment (practice), on passing an on-road driving assessment. Methods: Forty-three drivers undertook an Occupational Therapy-Driver Assessment Off Road Assessment (OT-DORA) Battery which included the Drive Home Maze Test (DHMT). Participants with/without a history of navigational problems were randomly allocated into three groups: 1) Unfamiliar/then familiar area assessment; 2) Unfamiliar/unfamiliar; 3) familiar/unfamiliar. An on-road assessment protocol was used including over 100 expected behaviors at nominated points along the directed route. For familiar area assessments, the driver self-navigated from their home to shops and services. A pass/fail decision was made for each assessment. Results: A generalized linear mixed effects model showed neither location, nor practice affected passing the on-road assessment. Participants with navigational problems were six times less likely to pass regardless of route familiarity and direction method, and the DHMT was a significant negative predictor of passing. Conclusion: Drivers with Alzheimer's disease who have navigational problems and are slow to complete the DHMT are unlikely to pass an on-road assessment. However, navigation and maze completion skills may be a proxy for an underlying cognitive skill underpinning driving performance. © 2019 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
- Publisher
- IOS Press
- Relation
- Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Vol. 67, no. 3 (2019), p. 1035-1043
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- Copyright © 2019 - IOS Press and the authors
- Subject
- 3202 Clinical Sciences; 3209 Neurosciences; Alzheimer's disease; Automobile driver examination; Automobile driving; Occupational therapy
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