In the state of Florida, nearly 20 percent of the population is age 65 or older. For many, progression in age can mean regression in driving ability. But a new service offered by the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of occupational therapy aims to give seniors and others a chance to improve their skills behind the wheel.
The Fitness to Drive Screening Measure (FTDS) is a web-based questionnaire for screening senior drivers who are potentially at-risk. The FTDS is completed by a family member or caregiver of the senior driver. The results of the FTDS provide recommendations for the next steps as well as resources. However, occupational therapists who are generalists or specialists in driving rehabilitation can also use the results of the FTDS to better manage their clients' plan of care. This presentation will provide participants with an overview of the FTDS development and application. Through case studies, participants will learn how to analyze the FTDS results with clinical findings to inform their decisions about whether an on-road assessment is necessary. Participants will also learn how to use the FTDS key form results to complement the on-road assessment and as such provide a more comprehensive treatment plan and recommendations.
Occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals play an important role in helping seniors adjust to driving cessation and use of alternative transportation. This presentation provides foundational knowledge about driving and the use of alternative transportation among seniors in North America. Participants will learn about assessment and intervention tools that can be used to assist seniors transitioning to alternative transportation. Through the presentation and observation of a role play, participants will learn about key strategies to use when having these potentially challenging conversations with seniors.
This course is designed for the healthcare professional who has experience in driving rehabilitation and is considering starting a private practice. The presenter provides an overview of information that needs to be gathered in order to make an informed decision about pursuing private practice. Participants will learn about business tools and strategies to guide their decision. In addition, the course includes a spreadsheet to create a financial plan for a driving rehabilitation practice.
This course will provide an overview of the development and use of a driving intervention tool, Drive Focus. The presenter will describe the tool’s evolution from an experience with a driving rehabilitation client to a visual-cognitive training application for driving. Participants will learn of the usability and efficacy studies that have been completed with the tool. In addition, participants will learn how Drive Focus may be used with clients in an in-patient, out-patient, or driving rehabilitation practice setting.
Through a case study, this course will provide an example of a comprehensive driving evaluation for an individual with Parkinson’s disease. Participants will learn how to utilize clinical findings to interpret on road driving performance while taking into account the individual’s context and environment when making fitness to drive recommendations. In addition, participants will be introduced to intervention strategies that may support individuals with Parkinson’s disease to continue to drive.
In this course, readiness to drive is assessed for a teen with a dual diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to a healthy control, using indicators such as medical history, clinical testing, life skills, and simulated driving performance results. Using this case study and a decision tree, the presenter interprets how these indicators can guide a therapist to determine readiness for driving. The course also explores how to prepare teens, not yet ready to drive, for independence in community mobility and future driving.
In this course, the authors introduce the crash statistics and characteristics of teens in general, as well as those with ADHD and ASD. Using clinical tests, driving performance videos of teens in a driving simulator, and statistical analysis, the authors propose indicators of readiness to drive for teens at large, and for those with ADHD and/or ASD.
