Driving Restrictions for Dementia Patients Could Be Eased – Houston Auto Accident Lawyers
The American Academy of Neurology is revising its guidelines on driving privileges for dementia patients. The new guidelines would mean that more persons with mild dementia are allowed to drive.
The last time the American Academy of Neurology issued guidelines for dementia patients and driving privileges, it recommended that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families be told that such patients are at a high risk of accidents and driving errors. In fact, the earlier guidelines went so far as to prohibit driving even for patients with mild dementia.
The new guidelines however, would allow patients with a low dementia scale score, those whose parents and caregivers had a high opinion of their driving abilities, and those who have few accidents and citations on their record, to be able to drive. The report cites several studies to support these guidelines. For instance, according to the report, more than 76 percent of elderly drivers with dementia are able to pass driving tests.
It’s much harder to quantify the degree of dementia in a person than it is to quantify, say, BAC levels. Â There is no minimum level of dementia, and even dementia scores may not tell you the entire picture. This is why the Academy is revising its guidelines. However, not everybody is in concurrence with the American Academy of Neurology. The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry recommends that driving privileges be immediately stopped once a patient is diagnosed with dementia, even in a mild form.
Ultimately however, Houston car accident lawyers and doctors agree on one thing – families and caregivers are the best judge of a dementia patient’s driving abilities. This is also why the Academy gives so much importance to the opinion of the family or caregiver about the patient’s driving abilities. If you’re concerned about your loved one continuing to drive even with a diagnosis of dementia, ask yourself this – do you feel safe as a passenger when he or she is driving? If you hesitate to answer, your choice is clear. The time has come to take away the car keys.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment