studiot Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Quote How your driving might reveal early signs of Alzheimer's Everyone's driving changes as they age. But for some people, subtle differences emerge in how they control a vehicle, which scientists say are associated with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57670006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exchemist Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 1 hour ago, studiot said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57670006 Interesting, but I wonder how applicable this would be in cultures in which people don't rely on cars as much as they do in N America. If you take someone who lives in a European city, for example, they may not drive enough to start with for much change to be detectable. Perhaps it could work on GPS monitoring of somebody's mobile phone, though. That might work even if you get around on foot, public transport or by bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MigL Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 I do most of the things suggested as symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's. I always thought it was because I don't see well, especially in bad weather and at night; another common condition that comes with old age ( ubfortunately my Glaucoma came at 35 yrs ). What a relief to find out it's only Alzheimers 😄 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beecee Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, studiot said: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57670006 As an old fart still driving, this certainly interested me. Let me first say that in Australia, once a person reaches 75 years, he or she is required by law to undergo a medical examination every 12 months, and of course attain the required standards, otherwise your lincense is cancelled. Once a person reaches 80 years, he needs to undergo and pass the same medical, plus a driving retest. Of the situations listed in the article, yes, I certainly drive "slower" always sticking to the speed limit and adjusting according to conditions, and keeping as much as possible in the left hand lane [remember in Australia we drive on the correct side of the road 😉]. I have never been confused to what pedal is where, and never make abrupt changes other then in emergency situations. I still take the other half on weekend drives to as many different destinations as possible. At the same time, we on many occasions often decide to take a train ride/ferry ride, as in NSW the maximum daily fair is fixed at $2.50, no matter how many modes of transport, or how far as dictated by Sydney's public transport system, which extends about 100kms West/North/South. While the fact that people's driving behaviour changes when they have Alzheimer's is well documented, so to older people's reaction time slow somewhat as they age...https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=562 Edited July 13, 2021 by beecee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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