Page 36 - The Magazine of AAA Ohio – January 2020

How Do You Assess Driving Ability?
Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialists could help you answer that critical question.
By Kimberly Schwind
When Joan first met Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) Julie Dominik, she hadn’t driven in several months. In fact, Joan and
her daughter Carole weren’t sure
if Joan would ever drive again.
Earlier that year, the healthy, active 82-year-old had been planning to move from New York to Ohio to be closer to family.
“After my father died in January
2018, she decided she didn’t need
a big house with a big yard in the snow belt of New York State,” said Carole. “We made the decision that she would move before she needed to. We almost made that.”
Joan suddenly became ill and collapsed just days before her scheduled move. Her neighbors found
her on the kitchen floor and she was rushed to the hospital. After spending time in intensive care, doctors determined Joan had contracted a severe disease from a rare tick bite.
While Joan miraculously survived, the bite left her with mild cognitive impairment.
“To me it means, it just takes me a little longer to think things through and sometimes I have to ask questions about things I should know, and sometimes I forget things,” said Joan.
Joan ended up moving to Ohio a couple of weeks later with several remaining complications. Carole and her husband cared for Joan and drove her to numerous doctors’ appointments.
“It was a period of time when it was impossible for me to even think about driving,” said Joan. “And so the car was in the garage.”
Carole wasn’t sure how to assess her mother’s driving, so she asked one of Joan’s physicians at Summa Health Senior Health Center about her mother’s driving. The physician referred them to Julie Dominik at Mercy Medical Center for a driving assessment.
CDRSs, like Dominik, are certified through The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists to complete thorough driver evaluations. Based on evaluation results, the CDRS will determine if any adaptive driving equipment is needed, whether the individual can drive independently, or at all, and whether they require driver rehabilitation training.
Driving assessments typically start with a lengthy interview process to determine any concern areas, such as cognitive impairment.
“We have a battery of screenings we go through that looks at all of the different skills that a person needs for driving,” said Dominik. “We look at eyes, brain and body, as those are the three main components that we want to make sure people can use and function well in order for that safe operation of the vehicle.”
To determine if someone is safe to hit the road, CDRSs will often perform tests in the office with a simulator. During Joan’s assessment, she did end up going on an actual drive with Dominik.
“I remember her saying, you’re too close to that car, you should be a whole car’s length back,” said Joan. “Later, as we talked, she said I would be able to drive, but it would be under certain restrictions.”
“Initially, they wanted me to do some practice driving with her,” said Carole. “So, she doesn’t drive anywhere by herself unless she and I have been there, mostly
34 | AAA MAGAZINE
TO VIEW AAA MAGAZINE ONLINE, VISIT AAAMAGAZINEONLINE.COM