Using In-Vehicle Devices to Examine Exposure and Patterns in Drivers with Parkinson’s Disease Compared to an Age-Matched Control Group

Symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as medications, can influence safe driving. Some studies have shown that drivers with PD make more errors and may have more crashes. Although a few studies have suggested drivers with PD may self-regulate by reducing amount of driving and avoiding challenging situations, findings are based on self-report data. The purpose of this study was to objectively examine naturalistic driving exposure and patterns in drivers with PD compared to an age-matched group of healthy drivers using electronic, in-vehicle devices over a two week monitoring period. Compared to the controls, the PD group drove significantly less overall (number of trips, kilometres, duration), on weekends and at night. When adjusted for number of days of driving, the PD group still made fewer trips and drove proportionately less at night. This was the first study to examine the actual driving practices of a PD population using objective measures

Exploring Factors that Influence Vehicle Purchase Decisions of Older Drivers: Where Does Safety Fit?

Vehicle design features that enhance safety can mitigate older driver frailty and declines in ability. We have investigated the older driver’s perception of vehicle safety and how this influences their vehicle purchase. Focus groups (n = 27) were conducted among drivers aged 70-90 in South-Western Ontario. Questions focused on participants’ perceptions of vehicle safety and design, the vehicle purchasing process, and resources used therein. Participants emphasized the importance of a few standard safety features (e.g., seatbelt, reliable brakes) but de-emphasized the role of safety on their purchase decisions. Safety was superseded by other purchasing considerations, most notably price. Stressful dealer-buyer interactions and poor congruency of information created barriers. Purchasing aids for older drivers should be developed that speak to the spectrum of safety technologies and emphasize the relationship between safety and other design features on driving ability

Linking people and activities through community mobility : an international comparison of the mobility patterns of older drivers and non-drivers

Community mobility using private and public transportation is important for maintaining health, social participation and living well in later life. This international cross-sectional cohort study (N= 246) reported on the health and driving status of older adults from seven countries where the mobility patterns of drivers and non-drivers were compared in terms of city and rural areas, weather, as well as their respective differences in the number of out-of-home places accessed and quality of life. Older adults participated in a semi-structured interview and completed four standardised instruments: the EQ-5D-5L, modified PULSES health profile, modified Transportation Questionnaire, and the Transport – Participation in Activities and Places Outside the Home. Results suggested inclement weather and place of residence negatively impacted out-of-home activities but did not increase use of public transportation. Drivers accessed more out-of-home activities than non-drivers, suggesting higher community participation among this group, and quality of life was generally high among all participants, but slightly higher for drivers. Findings indicate that a complex myriad of factors can influence community mobility in older adults and further investigations are needed to understand patterns of transport in later life, particularly with regard to those factors that promote and maintain transport mobility, and relationships between transport mobility, community participation and quality of life

Undertaking Rehabilitation Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Emergent Strategies From a Trainee-Faculty Workshop

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyday rehabilitation research. Many academic institutions have halted in-person human research including rehabilitation sciences. Researchers are faced with several barriers to continuing their research programs. The purpose of this perspective article is to report the results of an interdisciplinary workshop aimed at understanding the challenges and corresponding strategies for conducting rehabilitation research during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsTwenty-five rehabilitation researchers (17 trainees and eight faculty) attended a 2-h facilitated online workshop in to discuss challenges and strategies they had experienced and employed to conduct rehabilitation research during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsRehabilitation researchers reported challenges with (1) pandemic protocol adjustments, (2) participant accessibility, and (3) knowledge dissemination, along with corresponding strategies to these challenges. Researchers experienced disruptions in study outcomes and intervention protocols to adhere to public health guidelines and have suggested implementing novel virtual approaches and study toolkits to facilitate offsite assessment. Participant accessibility could be improved by engaging community stakeholders in protocol revisions to ensure equity, safety, and feasibility. Researchers also experienced barriers to virtual conferences and publication, suggested opportunities for smaller networking events, and revisiting timeframes for knowledge dissemination.ConclusionThis perspective article served as a catalyst for discussion among rehabilitation researchers to identify novel and creative approaches that address the complexities of conducting rehabilitation research during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

International comparison of older drivers and non-drivers for activity access and quality of life

Abstract Driving is crucial for many people to age in place, as it is the most convenient option, and somtimes the only option for personal transport. This international, cross-sectional, cohort study of older adults (n=246) compared drivers’ and non-drivers’ quality of life and levels of community participation. Following ethical approval, data were collected across seven countries. The EQ-5D-5L was used to measure health related quality of life and a modified version of the Participation in Activities and Places Outside the Home (ACT-OUT) was used to measure community participation (T-ACT-OUT). Drivers accessed more out-of-home activities than non-drivers, suggesting higher community participation among this group. Health related quality of life was generally high among all participants, but slightly higher for drivers (U=3186, z=-2.78, p=.005, r=0.18). These findings resonate with recent evidence, which suggests supporting older drivers to continue to drive for as long as possible provides critical access to their communities (O’Neill et al., 2019). Part of a symposium sponsored by Transportation and Aging Interest Group

Using simulation to better understand the effects of aging on driver visibility

Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2016. This proof-of-concept pilot study explored virtual simulation methodology to quantify blind-spot line-of-sight using avatars derived from an older driver database (n = 100). Siemens Jack software simulated the blind spots of eight older driver avatars (four female). The male and female avatars were scaled to be small (25th percentile) and large (75th percentile) based on the height distribution for the older driver database, and had either normal (65 degrees) or abnormal (50 degrees) neck range of motion (ROM). A virtual model of a Volkswagen Beetle was used to illustrate left and right blind-spot line-of-sight for each avatar. Average line-of-sight between blind spots was 22.3 per cent and 10.4 per cent in the normal and abnormal rotational neck ROM conditions, respectively. Older drivers with functional impairments affecting neck ROM are more likely to have problems with left blind-spot line-of-sight. Findings are discussed with regard to vehicle design considerations for older adults

Using In-Vehicle Devices to Examine Exposure and Patterns in Drivers with Parkinson’s Disease Compared to an Age-Matched Control Group

Symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as medications, can influence safe driving. Some studies have shown that drivers with PD make more errors and may have more crashes. Although a few studies have suggested drivers with PD may self-regulate by reducing amount of driving and avoiding challenging situations, findings are based on self-report data. The purpose of this study was to objectively examine naturalistic driving exposure and patterns in drivers with PD compared to an age-matched group of healthy drivers using electronic, in-vehicle devices over a two week monitoring period. Compared to the controls, the PD group drove significantly less overall (number of trips, kilometres, duration), on weekends and at night. When adjusted for number of days of driving, the PD group still made fewer trips and drove proportionately less at night. This was the first study to examine the actual driving practices of a PD population using objective measures

A narrative analysis of the transition from driving to driving cessation in later life ::Implications from an occupational lens

The transition from driving to driving cessation in older adulthood is considered a major life transition where resulting disruptions can impact sense of self. Such transitions at this life stage offer both a challenge and opportunity to consider the relationship between disruption, adaptation (or not) of occupational patterns, and perceptions of life roles. The current study examines this process of adaptation where the focus is on exploring how disruption, loss, and identity over time are negotiated at this life stage. Semi-structured interviews with each participant explored this process. Based on these interviews and corresponding narrative analysis, the trajectories of each of the five older adults (4 male, 1 female; aged 73-90) were categorized and mapped. The analysis indicated the narrative slopes of three participants were ‘progressive’ (more ups than downs), one participant was ‘stable’ (landing where one started), and the remaining participant was ‘regressive’ (more downs than ups). Results from this study suggest the process of negotiating the transition from driver to non-driver was non-linear, meaning the ensuing adaptations to everyday life involved a major reorganization of occupations and routines. Social support and finding alternative ways of doing were key to negotiating this transition. Challenges experienced during the transition and/or, a failure to adapt, suggests an ongoing and growing disconnect in life roles. Further study of the impact of such disconnection and the ramifications on not only the person but also their social network is warranted

Interpersonal perception of time-use patterns in romantic relationships ::protocol for the IP-COUPLES study

Background: Perceptual congruence has been defined as the level of agreement between partners on various aspects of their shared lives, including perceived engagement in individual and jointly performed activities. While the level of adjustment made by partners to such activities is thought to contribute to a couple’s sense of mutuality, perceptions of time use concerning activity engagement has yet to be considered. As such, this study will determine the level of perceptual congruence between partners with respect to perceived time use in their respective and shared activities. Objective: The primary objective of the IP-COUPLES study is to determine the similarities and differences between partners in terms of their perceptual congruence with respect to independent and jointly performed activities. This study will also examine the association between independent and joint activities in terms of perceptual congruence of time use and the strength of this association. Methods: This descriptive observational study includes 100 couples from Western Switzerland who are recruited using snowball sampling methods. The Life Balance Inventory (LBI), a self-report questionnaire that captures activity configuration congruence, will measure independent and joint perceptions of both time use allocated to daily activities and corresponding satisfaction. Due to COVID-19, the protocol can be administered virtually by the primary investigator. The mean scores of perceptual congruence variables will be used for analysis, namely perceived congruence of time use in terms of independent and jointly performed activities. For the first objective, an independent t test will be used for each variable to compare the mean score between activities on the LBI. For the second objective, the correlations between the mean scores for these activities will be calculated for each variable using the Pearson correlation. Results: The IP-COUPLES study protocol was developed in 2019 and 2020. Enrollment began in June 2020. Data collection will continue until October 2021 to account for time needed for recruitment due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Analysis and presentation of results are expected in 2022. Conclusions: This study is exploratory, as it is the first to our knowledge to investigate how perceived time-use patterns with respect to independent or jointly performed activities are similar or different among romantic couples. By investigating the interpersonal perception of time-use patterns among couples, the IP-COUPLES study is an important first step to understanding how romantic partners’ daily activities are contributing to the level of satisfaction as a partner and as a couple and to the sense of mutuality between partners in a romantic relationship

Older People Driving a High-Tech Automobile: Emergent Driving Routines and New Relationships with Driving

Advanced vehicle technologies (AVTs) (e.g., lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring) are sophisticated computer and electronically mediated communications that provide information to users, and, at times, assume control over parts of the driving task (e.g., automated braking). This article examines how AVTs are refashioning older people’s embodied relationships with driving, including driving routines, skills, sensuous dispositions, and modes of control that are considered integral to driving. Results from interviews with 35 older drivers driving a high-tech car call attention to the opportunities and challenges that entanglements with AVTs can present for aging drivers