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Driving- More than Just Handling the Car!
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 2:17pm
Let's get started talking about driving. You may know that I am an occupational therapist. I am also one of approximately 8 OTs in Colorado who is a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist. So what is "rehab driving"? It is teaching someone to drive again who is unable to continue driving safely because of an illness or injury. This could be something as traumatic as acquired brain injury or as seemingly innocuous as the effects of the aging process. It will also encompass the new driver who may require special adaptations or teaching methods to drive safely.
For many of us, driving is something we take for granted. It has been the first official evidence of adult status. It was so exciting to get that first driver's license! But driving is really a privilege, not the right that we all think it is. And that driver's license represents only entry level skill, not what would be expected of someone who has driven safely for 20, 10 or even 5 years.
Driving is the most complex activity that one can engage in. It is not just the ability to handle the car. It is also vision, visual processing, visual perception, visual attention, reaction time, decision making, alternating attention, divided attention, visual scanning, visual memory, new concept formation and multitasking.
Did you notice a common thread here? The majority of information needed for safe driving is visual! A problem in any of these areas can lead to a potential problem with safety. It is the responsibility of the driver rehab specialist to determine if their client can drive safely with or without training/adaptive equipment or if cessation of driving is the best option for safety.
I will stop here for now. Next I will begin to address all those components of driving. In the meantime, "Drive safely, and keep the rubber side down!"
__________________
Karen Richardson, OTR/CDRS
Registered Occupational Therapist, Certified Driving Rehabilitation SpecialistFind me on facebook at Karen Richardson Otr www.facebook.com/profile.php and please email at karenrichardsonotr@gmail.com with any questions or comments.
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e-mailThis forum is provided to allow members of Lumigrate to share information and ideas. Any recommendations made by forum members regarding medical treatments, medications, or procedures are not endorsed by Lumigrate or practitioners who serve as Lumigrate's medical experts.
I thought I'd transfer (cut and paste) what someone wrote on facebook from when I posted to let people know this new piece was here from Karen. I really appreciate people interacting on facebook and encourage people to come 'comment' here on the website, but that takes an extra step and it's important to capture the good comments made on facebook.
This is from one of our frequent followers both on facebook and here at the website -- one of the 'Grate Group' so to speak...
Very intreagued with your topic Karen!! Driving has changed so much for me over the years with each illness ii get i have to reevaluate if/howmuch/ and when (based on how i feel) can drive. I thought nothing yrs ago of driving cross country from east coast to AZ and back...now im lucky if i drive 5mins away once a month...will be anxious to read your upcoming additins! cheers!
I REALLY like this piece which Karen started things off with here about driving. I always say our goal with Lumigrate is to be valid, progressive, streamlined and FUN (overall). And this meets all of these -- "Keep the Rubber Side Down" makes me
because it's 
. Maybe one day we'll have someone contribute here about sunglasses for driving! (and add THEIR expertise). (Yes, I'll be getting ahold of Lynn Hellerstein, OD who is a contributor on Lumigrate in the Children's Integrative forum. Her book "See it. Say it. Do it!" rapidly made it to the top 10 for teachers list this spring after it's release so now that the school year is wrapping up, perhaps she'll have some time to write about this as well.
Dr. Hellerstein's book, while 'geared towards' children is REALLY appropriate for anyone with a brain. She utilizes 'Educational Kinesiology' which is a.k.a. 'Brain Gym'. Karen and I both have utilized this technique when working in driving rehabilitation environments and I know I went on to integrate the concepts and exercises in with other patients. I found it very effective for most conditions that affect the brain/body with the exception of dementias. They are VERY helpful if you're fatigued --- even for those who are 100% intact neurologically.
It occurs to me that something people who are reading this can do to help education the professionals around them is to 'print' and get a copy to their eye care professional and any health care professionals they deal with. That way they'll know to come look for Karen and her information at Lumigrate.com and we'll keep the roads safer AND their patients.
~~ Mardy
Mardy Ross, OTR Founder, Lumigrate "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate facebook: My personal page: Mardy Ross Fan Pages: Lumigrate, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia, Lumigrate: Fibromyalgia Health Education and Counseling (Lumigrate Webucation is a 'personal page' replaced by fan pages but used for 'fun' still).