Chuck
04-06-2009, 08:03 PM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Lane violations, such as swerving or hugging the center line as another car approaches, were the biggest problem for the Alzheimer's drivers. They performed 50 percent worse in a study. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBxj5OER30QjudjLoUSBKR2ByT3wD97D5QFO3)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Buick_Lucerne.jpgLauran Neergaard - AP - April 6, 2009
Alzheimer's patients will quadruple by 2030 - some estimate. Wicked idea: treat distract drivers like they have advanced Alzheimers and watch the cell phones vanish. --Ed.
Washington - Scientists are creating tests to show when it's time for people with early Alzheimer's disease to stop driving. It's one of a family's most wrenching decisions, and as Alzheimer's increasingly is diagnosed in its earliest stages, it can be hard to tell when a loved one is poised to become a danger.
Factor in that much of the country lacks public transportation, and quitting too soon restricts independence for someone who otherwise may function well for several years.
"That's a real cost to the individual and family and society," says Jeffrey Dawson of the University of Iowa. "You have to have some sort of trade-off between the individual's independence along with the safety of the driver and with other people on the road."
Typically, specialists say, patients gradually scale back their driving, avoiding busy freeways or night trips or left-turn intersections. Alzheimer's Association adviser Sue Pinder, 58, recently gave up big-city driving even though it meant fewer visits to a daughter in Dallas.... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBxj5OER30QjudjLoUSBKR2ByT3wD97D5QFO3
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Buick_Lucerne.jpgLauran Neergaard - AP - April 6, 2009
Alzheimer's patients will quadruple by 2030 - some estimate. Wicked idea: treat distract drivers like they have advanced Alzheimers and watch the cell phones vanish. --Ed.
Washington - Scientists are creating tests to show when it's time for people with early Alzheimer's disease to stop driving. It's one of a family's most wrenching decisions, and as Alzheimer's increasingly is diagnosed in its earliest stages, it can be hard to tell when a loved one is poised to become a danger.
Factor in that much of the country lacks public transportation, and quitting too soon restricts independence for someone who otherwise may function well for several years.
"That's a real cost to the individual and family and society," says Jeffrey Dawson of the University of Iowa. "You have to have some sort of trade-off between the individual's independence along with the safety of the driver and with other people on the road."
Typically, specialists say, patients gradually scale back their driving, avoiding busy freeways or night trips or left-turn intersections. Alzheimer's Association adviser Sue Pinder, 58, recently gave up big-city driving even though it meant fewer visits to a daughter in Dallas.... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBxj5OER30QjudjLoUSBKR2ByT3wD97D5QFO3