Driving Guest Lecture Reflection

The driving lecture taught us all about the different diagnoses that would benefit from having a driving test completed to see if they are safe enough to drive independently again. It is an extremely difficult thing to not be able to drive anymore, because that takes away so much of someone’s independence and makes them rely on others to get to different places. It is important to be caring and understanding when working with someone who may or may not be able to drive again. We also learned about all the different aspects that go into driving that need to be assessed, such as visual perception, cognition, physical strength, and more.

There are many interventions that can be completed with someone involving driving. The first is education. They need to understand what their options are, whether they need to buy an adapted car to fit their needs, strategies to help them remember to check their blind spots, or more. They most likely have a new condition that requires them to change how they drove, which is why they are being assessed, so helping them understand what changes need to be made to their driving is essential to success. Another intervention is working on transfers getting in and out of the car. This could be with someone who recently had a spinal cord injury and needs to learn how to get from their wheelchair into their car. If they are unable to get into their car with their wheelchair, they need to be able to store it in their car so that they are able to move once they get to their destination. This can involve a caregiver attending so they are able to put the wheelchair away, or learning how an adapted car works with getting the wheelchair into the driver’s area.