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The American Academy of Neurology has released a guideline on Driving among Patients with Dementia.

Concerned about the Driving Ability and Driving Safety of a patient, parent, friend or loved one?

Ask yourself the following questions.

QUESTIONNAIRE for FAMILY OR CAREGIVER :
1. How many times has the patient been stopped or ticketed for a traffic violation in the last three years? (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or more)
2. How many accidents has the patient been in, or caused, within the last three years? (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or more)
3. In how many accidents was the patient at fault in the last three years? (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or more)
Use this scale to answer the following questions:
1 strongly disagree;2 disagree; 3 no opinion; 4 agree; 5 strongly agree.
1. I have concerns about the patient’s ability to drive safely.
2. Others have concerns about his/her ability to drive safely.
3. The patient has limited the amount of driving that he/she does.
4. He/she avoids driving at night.
5. He/she avoids driving in the rain.
6. He/she avoids driving in busy traffic.
7. The patient will drive faster than the speed limit if the patient thinks he/she won’t be caught.
8. The patient will run a red light if the patient thinks that he/she won’t be caught.
9. The patient will drive after drinking more alcohol than the patient
should.
10. When he/she gets angry with other drivers, the patient will honk the horn, gesture, or drive up too closely to them.
[caption id=”attachment_380″ align=”aligncenter” width=”300″ caption=”cartoon from telspatch.co.uk”][/caption]
If you have numerous YES responses:
1. Seek help from the patient’s healthcare provider for an assessment of Dementia (neurologist, geriatrician).
2. Make sure the patient gets a vision and hearing check.
3. Review medications and drugs (including alcohol and sleeping pills) that may increase the risk of driving accidents.

Source: American Academy of Neurology Guidelines 2010
Published in: Neurology 74 April 20, 2010

When there is imminent danger to the person with hoarding or to others in the household, it may be necessary to seek professional help.
[caption id=”attachment_377″ align=”aligncenter” width=”300″ caption=”hoarding photo from anxietystress.org”][/caption]
For individuals with compulsive hoarding who are ready to work in the home and wish the help of family members or friends, the following can be helpful:

DO:
1. Decide together on the goal, e.g., clearing an area of the home.
2. Help the person remain focused on the task in front of him or her. Simply remind the person what he or she is supposed to be doing at the moment.
3. Provide emotional support. Express empathy, with statements such as, “I can see how hard this is for you,” Cheer on and praise the effort the individual is making to overcome this problem and expressing their belief in the person’s ability to make progress.
4. Help the person make decisions but do not make decisions for him or her. Good questions to ask are: “Is it useful?” “Do you need it?” “Can you do without it?”
5. Help the person with hauling. Many people with compulsive hoarding have accumulated so many things that they can become overwhelmed by the enormity of removing such a large number of items.

DON’T:

1. Don’t touch anything in the person’s home without his or her specific permission. Ignoring the person’s wishes and handling their things without their permission breaks trust and can damage the relationship with them.
2. Don’t argue with the person who has the hoarding problem as this produces negative feelings and slows progress. When conflict arises, take a break.
3. Don’t tell the person with the hoarding problem how he or she should feel.
4. Respect that items that appear useless in fact have great value to the person is instrumental in helping the individual to overcome this problem.

More Information:
The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation

See related blog in our March Archive

Excerpts from AFP 9 April 2010

Japanese robo-suit promises superpowers for greying farmers

TOKYO (AFP) - – While Robocop and Iron Man can dodge bullets and crush villains, a new powered suit from Japan promises its elderly users more modest powers, such as pulling up radishes without getting a backache.

Unlike its heavily-armed Hollywood counterparts, the Power Assist Suit aims to make life easier for Japan’s army of greying farmers.

The metal-and-plastic exoskeleton boasts eight electric motors that amplify the strength of the wearer’s arms and legs, as well as sensors that can detect movements and respond to commands through a voice-recognition system.

Professor Shigeki Toyama and his team developed the power-enhancing suit at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Toyama plans to set up a company to start producing the futuristic outfit by the end of the year.

“If the farmer bends over to grasp a radish, his back will be firmly supported,” said Gohei Yamamoto, one of the students working on the team, as he recently demonstrated the suit on his university campus.

“A brief vocal instruction will instantly straighten the rods along his legs, giving him the power he needs to pull the vegetable without effort.”

Robo-suits are making inroads in hospitals and retirement homes, where they can help carers lift patients or aid in physical rehabilitation exercises.

The suit should hit the Japanese market in 2012, when it will initially retail for about one million yen (11,000 dollars), a price tag its makers hope to halve if the device is mass-produced, the team said.