Driving & Community Mobility
Today's driving and community mobility lecture was so interesting and applicable to everyone. We learned that we typically outlive our ability to drive by 6-8 years! That means that for the last 6-8 years of our lives we won't be driving. This really hit home for me because aging is something that will happen to us all, no matter what. The ability to drive is one of the most important factors for myself that defines independence.
Takeaway Points:
The key takeaway points I got from today's lecture are the importance of driver safety at all ages and how occupational therapists can play a role in ensuring the safety of other drivers. I think occupational therapists have a unique position in this niche of care, in that we are holistic in nature and well suited to cover this sensitive topic. I think we can be a support for those we see that don't get the best news about their potential future in driving. We also learned about how important it is to build rapport quickly with your clients since you will potentially be the bearer of some pretty bad news. It is important that we be sensitive in the nature of delivering the news to these clients and truly understand the impact it will have on their lives. I learned a lot about our role in education in this setting, as well. There are a lot of topics we can cover and educate our clients on.
Interventions:
One great group or individual intervention would be focused around a hands-on educational setting in which older adults would be educated on the proper seat distance from steering wheel (at least 10 inches), seat height above steering wheel (3 inches above wheel), and proper location of seatbelt in relation to body (across clavicle). I just heard these things for the first time today, so I would imagine there are probably a lot of people that have never heard them either. The intervention could be done in a group setting via discussion, handouts, and maybe demonstration. The intervention could also be done on an individual basis by working with a client in their personal car to correct these three items and explain the reasons they are safer and more correct.
I think another intervention could be targeted toward the population of people who have suffered a TBI or have PTSD and have altered mental states as a result. We talked about in class how these populations are susceptible to personality changes and decreased frustration tolerance. I think a great intervention that could be done on an individual basis would be to work on some skill building activities that focus on these deficits/changes. Examples would include worksheets or activities aimed at "triggers" and proper responses when these occur. We could work on deep breathing and relaxation techniques as a preparatory activity before either simulating a driving occupation or before getting behind the wheel of a real car. Other ideas could include social integration/reintegration in other settings to get used to being around stimuli that cannot be controlled internally, which would hopefully translate into community mobility and driving when things occur that are out of one's control. I think these would be helpful interventions for someone struggling with a decreased tolerance for frustration and/or for someone having problems reintegrating in a typical world after such a change.
Takeaway Points:
The key takeaway points I got from today's lecture are the importance of driver safety at all ages and how occupational therapists can play a role in ensuring the safety of other drivers. I think occupational therapists have a unique position in this niche of care, in that we are holistic in nature and well suited to cover this sensitive topic. I think we can be a support for those we see that don't get the best news about their potential future in driving. We also learned about how important it is to build rapport quickly with your clients since you will potentially be the bearer of some pretty bad news. It is important that we be sensitive in the nature of delivering the news to these clients and truly understand the impact it will have on their lives. I learned a lot about our role in education in this setting, as well. There are a lot of topics we can cover and educate our clients on.
Interventions:
One great group or individual intervention would be focused around a hands-on educational setting in which older adults would be educated on the proper seat distance from steering wheel (at least 10 inches), seat height above steering wheel (3 inches above wheel), and proper location of seatbelt in relation to body (across clavicle). I just heard these things for the first time today, so I would imagine there are probably a lot of people that have never heard them either. The intervention could be done in a group setting via discussion, handouts, and maybe demonstration. The intervention could also be done on an individual basis by working with a client in their personal car to correct these three items and explain the reasons they are safer and more correct.
I think another intervention could be targeted toward the population of people who have suffered a TBI or have PTSD and have altered mental states as a result. We talked about in class how these populations are susceptible to personality changes and decreased frustration tolerance. I think a great intervention that could be done on an individual basis would be to work on some skill building activities that focus on these deficits/changes. Examples would include worksheets or activities aimed at "triggers" and proper responses when these occur. We could work on deep breathing and relaxation techniques as a preparatory activity before either simulating a driving occupation or before getting behind the wheel of a real car. Other ideas could include social integration/reintegration in other settings to get used to being around stimuli that cannot be controlled internally, which would hopefully translate into community mobility and driving when things occur that are out of one's control. I think these would be helpful interventions for someone struggling with a decreased tolerance for frustration and/or for someone having problems reintegrating in a typical world after such a change.
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