ElderWeb

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., the MIT Age Lab and Connecticut Community Care, Inc., have developed a guide to Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia and Driving as a tool to help individuals and caregivers determine when it is time to stop driving. The guide points out that many older adults who don't have dementia can assess their driving without family intervention and make gradual changes to the way they drive as they are impacted by problems with eyesight or slower reaction times. It's different for those with Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. The progression of this disease is usually gradual and somewhat unpredictable. It affects cognitive functions critical to driving, such as judgment, reaction time and problem-solving abilities. It can also cause physical and sensory problems that increase driving risk. With dementia, an individual's capacity to assess his or her driving abilities may also diminish. People with dementia are especially likely to minimize the complexity of driving and overestimate their abilities. As driving and assessment skills decline, the risk of serious loss or injury increases. Caregivers must assume the responsibility for monitoring and regulating the driving of the person with dementia, and this guide is a resource to help them do so.