I really enjoyed this guest lecture on driving and community mobility. One key takeaway point that I got from this lecture was that driving is a very important IADL for many people, taking away someones ability to drive really impacts their life, so when addressing this situation you need to always refer someone to a driving specialist if you are unsure, in order to keep the client's best interest in mind. I also learned about many different adaptive devices that can be used to assist people with disabilities while driving. I was very surprised to hear that even something as simple as just buying enlarged side view mirrors in a car can make such an impact on someones independence. Not every adaptation has to be expensive, and that was very reassuring to know those options are out there. Another thing I really enjoyed about this lecture was getting to break down each and every step and skill that is needed for safe driving and learning about how each diagnoses presents a different driving challenge. Towards the end of class I also really enjoyed going to look at the adapted van, I think it is so wonderful how advanced our technology has gotten in order to provide individuals with disabilities the independence to be mobile around their community.
Intervention 1:
One intervention that an OT could do is to perform the SIMARD-MD on the client. This will let the therapist know if the client is at risk for unsafe driving, and will provide reliable data to validate a referral to a driver specialist or a physician. It is a great standardized test for assessing the cognition of someone who is medically an at risk driver.
Intervention 2:
Another intervention that relates to the geriatric population and community mobility would be a group therapy session where the OT could give an inservice about how to use Uber, and Lyft. The session could focus on how to navigate the app, how to requests pick ups, and how the payment system works. Decreased community mobility in the geriatric population is a very common issue, I think this would be a great way for OT to get involved.
Intervention 1:
One intervention that an OT could do is to perform the SIMARD-MD on the client. This will let the therapist know if the client is at risk for unsafe driving, and will provide reliable data to validate a referral to a driver specialist or a physician. It is a great standardized test for assessing the cognition of someone who is medically an at risk driver.
Intervention 2:
Another intervention that relates to the geriatric population and community mobility would be a group therapy session where the OT could give an inservice about how to use Uber, and Lyft. The session could focus on how to navigate the app, how to requests pick ups, and how the payment system works. Decreased community mobility in the geriatric population is a very common issue, I think this would be a great way for OT to get involved.
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