Geriatric Drivers

I read 2 interesting articles this weekend related to the issues surrounding the geriatric community on our roadways. (1. www.jsonline.com/features/health/119156544.html, 2. www.westport-news.com/opinion/article/Should-elderly-drivers-be-retested-399215.php) The obvious conflict is the senior's right to independence vs. society's right to safety. One study rated seniors as second only to teens as a group involved in fatal car crashes. (I guess the only bright side to that statistic is that teens hold the number 1 slot and not seniors). Decreased reaction time, vision, judgement, hearing, muscle strength and flexibility, and concentration all contribute to the elderly driver's increased risk behind the wheel. One of the main problems concerning this topic is that there is no clear-cut line between when a person is safe to drive and when they are not. Lots of times, adult children are reluctant to make the call that their parents are unsafe to drive because then the responsible falls on them to figure out how to provide for their parents those things that have been lost - ability to buy groceries, participate in social situations, get to and from dr.'s appts., etc., etc., etc.. I personally believe that while a senior's independence is of utmost importance, it is trumped by the need to keep society as a whole safe on the roads. The articles list one of the current roles of OT's/OTA's as being evaluators of driving ability among the elders. So we get to help make the determination that a senior needs to be pulled off the roads. I am going to do more research into this idea (maybe for my blog next week) but these articles made me wonder about OT's role in a transport system for seniors who have lost their licenses. Public transportation such as riding a bus (independently) is out of the question for alot of seniors who have disabilities. Obviously OT's/OTA's are trained in proper transfers and the particulars of the medical conditions affecting this population. I am curious if OT clinicians are running businesses out there for this specialized purpose. I also wonder if there is any possible way insurance may cover a service of this nature? I'll do some research and try to find the answers to these questions. Maybe some of us could start our own business one day :). In the meantime, here is a website that contains more on OT's role in evaluating driving skills, in case you may want to take on this role in the future: www.aota.org/olderdriver.