[Driving and dementia.].
OBJECTIVE
The proportion of elderly in the community is increasing and thereby the number of elderly drivers. This leads to an increase in the number of drivers with cognitive impairment and even dementia. This study looks into the problems this is creating.


METHODS
Interview with patients and their relatives seeking for cognitive impairment to a Memory Clinic over a period of 4 years. Information was achieved by a social worker for 346 individuals.


RESULTS
Out of 346 individuals, 121 were active drivers, 110 ex drivers and 48 had never had drivers license. Insufficient information on driving was for 67 patients. Most of the ex drivers or 92 (84%) had stopped driving of their own initiative. The relatives of 12 individuals informed of accidents occurring after the onset of cognitive impairment and 7 of them continued to drive in spite of that.


CONCLUSIONS
Elderly who experience cognitive impairment decide in most instances themselves to stop driving. A minority continues driving in spite of obvious deficiencies. Clear guidelines for relatives and health professionals are needed in order to help elderly with cognitive impairment in making decisions on when it is appropriate to stop driving.
Hallgrímsdóttir
Helga María
HM
Department of Geriatrics, Landspitali University Hospital, Landakoti, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland. jsnaedal@landspitali.is.
Snædal
Jón
J