Page 15 - Safe Mobility for Life E-book
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friend and talk to your health care provider as soon as CHAPTER 1
possible. By understanding how these conditions can
affect your driving, you can learn to lessen their impact
on your safe driving skills.
Dementia
Dementia is a term used to describe a cognitive decline
that interferes with daily life. The most common type of
dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. It affects one’s memory,
judgment, and decision-making skills which are critical to
safe driving. People in the early stages of dementia may
still be able to drive under normal circumstances, but will
have difficulty as the disease progresses.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s
(NHTSA) Driver Fitness Medical Guidelines lists the
following signs to help determine if a person needs
evaluation for possible dementia:
▶ Scores from simple screening tools show possible
cognitive issues
▶ Has had a recent crash or traffic violation
▶ Has been prescribed medications for memory
problems
Chapter 1: Understand 11
