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Have you got incipient Altzheimers ? Check your Driving


studiot

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1 hour ago, studiot said:

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.

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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 😄 .

 

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2 hours ago, studiot said:

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 by beecee
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