Driving habits in patients with dementia: a report from Alzheimer’s disease assessment units in northern Italy

Mauri, Marco and Sinforiani, Elena and Cuzzoni, Maria Giovanna and Bono, Giorgio and Zucchella, Chiara (2014) Driving habits in patients with dementia: a report from Alzheimer’s disease assessment units in northern Italy. Functional Neurology, 29 (2). pp. 107-112. ISSN 1971-3274

[img]
Preview
Text
article.pdf - Published Version

Download (105kB) | Preview
Official URL: http://www.functionalneurology.com/index.php?PAGE=...

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize the driving behavior of a sample of patients with dementia. Demographic and clinical characteristics and parameters considered to be the most significant predictors of driving ability were collected. Of the total 198 patients enrolled, 172 were still driving. Many subjects (30-65%) were found to have modified their driving habits (reducing driving time and mileage, avoiding driving at night and during rush hours, sticking to familiar routes). The patients’ own rating of their driving ability was significantly higher than their care-givers’ rating (51% versus 29%). Crash history was not a significant variable. The patients’ restriction of their driving increased significantly (p<0.01) with age and increasing worsening of cognitive, functional and behavioral variables. In the absence of a gold standard for determining fitness to drive, the patients’ driving habits were self-regulated and, in particular, regulated by their caregivers. Age and degree of dementia can be considered among the best predictors of driving safety.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: dementia, driving habits, driving restriction
Subjects: 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici)
Depositing User: Marina Spanti
Date Deposited: 15 Dec 2015 16:01
Last Modified: 15 Dec 2015 16:01
URI: http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/11133

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item