Trini: WELCOME BACK TO
"LIVING 808."
FOR MOST OF US, DRIVING IS A BIG
PART OF OUR DAILY LIFE.
BUT WHEN LIFE CHANGES HAPPEN,
THEY MAY AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO
OPERATE A CAR SAFELY.
THAT'S WHEN IT'S IMPORTANT TO
ASSESS AND POSSIBLY REINFORCE
OUR DRIVING SKILLS.
JOINING US TO TALK MORE ABOUT
DRIVING READINESS, WHITNEY REIGH
FROM HABITATION HOSPITAL OF THE
PACIFIC.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
DRIVER'S PROGRAM.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
REHAB DRIVER'S PROGRAM IS A
PERSON'S READINESS TO RETURN TO
DRIVER.
AT REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF
THE PACIFIC, OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO
REBUILD LIVES AND HELP OUR
PATIENTS GAIN THEIR
INDEPENDENCE, AND IN DOING SO,
OUR DRIVER'S PROGRAM IS ALIGNED
TO HELP WITH THIS MISSION.
Trini: WHAT DOES THE
PROGRAM INVOLVE?
SO THE PROGRAM INVOLVES THREE
PARTS.
THE FIRST PART IS DONE IN THE
CLINIC.
AND THE CLINIC, WE'RE GOING TO
LOOK AT THEIR COGNITION, THEIR
VISION, THEIR REACTION TIME,
THEIR PHYSICAL ABILITY, IF THEY
CAN TURN THE WHEEL CORRECTLY.
STEP TWO INVOLVES A BEHIND OF
WHEEL ASSESSMENT.
WHILE THEY'RE IN THE CAR,
THEY'RE GOING TO BE USING OUR
DRIVER'S PROGRAM VEHICLE.
IT'S EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER
SIDE BRAKE FOR SAFETY.
AND WE'RE GOING TO BE SEEING HOW
THEY OPERATE THE VEHICLE.
SOMETIMES WE'LL DO AN ADAPTIVE
FITTING AND TRAINING.
THAT'S GOING TO INCLUDE FITTING
THEMFOR ANY ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT.
FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER A STROKE
SOMETIMES, SOMEONE WHO IS NO
LONGER ABLE TO USE THE RIGHT
SIDE OF THEIR BODY, WE CAN FIT
THEM TO USE A LEFT FOOT
ACCENTUATES TO FIT THEM WITH A
PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM?
ANYBODY WHO HAS HAD AN
ILLNESS OR AN INJURY CAN
DEFINITELY COME TO OUR PROGRAM.
BUT WE ALSO SEE A LOT OF SENIORS
THAT COME TO OUR PROGRAM AND
MORE RECENTLY, WE'VE BEEN HAVING
A LOT OF DOCUMENTS WHO ARE
RECOMMENDING THAT THEIR PARENTS
OR GRANDPARENTS GET EVALUATED.
THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR
PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS BEING ON
THE ROAD, AND THEY WANT A FRM
OAL --
FORMAL ASSESSMENT TO FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLY ALLOWING THEIR
PARENT OR GRANDPARENT TO
CONTINUE DRIVING.
Trini: THIS SOUNDS LIKE A
WONDERFUL PROGRAM.
WHEN YOU FIRST TOLD ME ABOUT THE
PROGRAM, I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT
ABOUT SENIORS.
THEY'VE BEEN DRIVING THEIR WHOLE
LIFE.
THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT.
AND THEY MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THE
SIGNS THAT MAYBE THEY SHOULDN'T
BY DRIVING ANYMORE.
IT'S A WIN-WIN.
IT EUL E-- EVALUATES THEIR DRIVING
ABILITY BUT COULD MAKE THEIR
FAMILY MEMBERS FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE IF THEY PASS ALL THE
TESTS CAN FLYING COLORS.
RIGHT.
OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO KEEP THEM ON
THE THE ROAD FOR AS LONG AS
POSSIBLE.
WHETHER IT INVOLVES MAKING A
RECOMMENDATION SO THEY CAN
CONTINUE DRIVING BUT IN A MORE
SAFE MANNER.
WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY THEIR
INDEPENDENCE OR LICENSE UNLESS
IT'S NECESSARY.
Trini: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER
BENEFITS, IN PARTICULAR FOR
SENIORS?
FOR SENIORS, WE'RE GOING TO
BE ASSESSING ANY IMPACTS FOR
AGING.
AS WE AGE, OUR REACTION TIME
SLOWS.
WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HOW
FAST CAN THEY REACT.
WE'RE GOING TO BE USING OUR
DRIVING SIMULATOR TO USE THAT.
WE CHECK THEIR EYE-HAND
COORDINATION.
THEY ABILITY TO DUAL TASK.
WHETHER THEY CAN PAY ATTENTION
TO MORE THAN ONE THING.
ALSO THEIR MEMORY.
ARE THEY GOING TO REMEMBER WHERE
THEY'RE GOING IF THEY START FROM
POINT A, ARE THEY GOING TO
REMEMBER GOING TO POINT B.
AND SOMETIMES THERE'S
CONSTRUCTION ON THE ROAD SO
THEIR PATHWAY IS GOING TO HAVE
TO CHANGE FROM THEIR TIP TYPICAL
DRIVING ROUTES.
WE'RE GOING TO MONITOR THOUGH
CHANGES TO DETERMINE WHETHER
EVERYONE SHOULD GO THROUGH THAT.
HOW DOES THIS PROGRAM FIT WITH
THE OTHER PATIENT SERVICES THAT
REHAB PROVIDES?
OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO GET
PEOPLE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY OUT
AGAIN AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE.
THAT IS OUR MAIN GOAL AT OUR
DRIVER'S PROGRAM.
WE WANT TO KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS
PROGRAM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ALL