In a town in South Texas, a study was conducted by Michigan Medicine. The research revealed that most older adults with cognitive problems continue to drive.
Cognitive problems refer to issues with thinking, memory, and other mental tasks. This worried those caring for these older adults.
The study involved more than 600 individuals aged 65 and older in Nueces County, Texas. They had all scored in a way that indicated they might have cognitive problems.
Of these individuals, 61.4% still drove. A third of those caring for them were worried about them driving. This study is published in a journal called the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern, a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, led this study. He said, “There might be some older people with slight cognitive problems who can still safely drive.
But there might be others for whom it’s unsafe.” He recommended that patients and their carers should talk about this with their doctors.
- Alzheimer’s and Driving
There are about 6.7 million people aged 65 and older in America who live with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a type of cognitive problem.
Many more older people suffer from similar issues. These problems can affect a person’s ability to drive safely.
A study conducted in 2017 found that dementia could seriously affect one’s ability to drive. Dementia is a condition that affects memory and other mental abilities.
People with dementia were more likely to fail a driving test compared to those without the condition.
In the Michigan Medicine study, the researchers initially wanted to compare older Latino and non-Latino white adults.
They found no significant differences between these two groups. However, they noticed that individuals with more severe cognitive problems were less likely to drive.
- The Role of Caregivers and Family
More than 35% of caregivers expressed worry about the ability of the person they were caring for to drive safely.
This was despite the fact that many of these older adults drove less often and avoided driving at night or in bad weather.
Talking about driving issues with older adults suffering from cognitive problems is tough.
The person may feel embarrassed or afraid of losing their freedom. Moreover, if the person stops driving, the caregiver might have to take on more responsibilities.
According to the researchers, it’s better to start talking about driving issues sooner. It’s easier when the person can understand and take part in the discussion.
Dr. Morgenstern suggested that families could discuss something called “Advance Driving Directives”. This is an agreement about when and how to discuss stopping driving.
For more information on safe driving for older adults, you can check the website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The study was made possible thanks to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke and the National Institute on Aging at the NIH. It’s important to note that the content is the authors’ responsibility and may not represent the official views of the NIH.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and blood pressure problem at night may increase Alzheimer’s risk.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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