As the older population increases, the number of older persons at risk for dementia is rising steadily. A major public health concern regarding dementia in older adults is impaired driving. Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia can interfere with judgement about safe driving and increase the risk factor for crashing by about threefold. To gauge older drivers' response to the onset of dementia, the authors examined the prevalence of driving and rate of cessation in a representative group of 643 men who were screened positive for possible incident dementia and had received a neurological evaluation in the Honolulu-Asia Ageing Study of dementia. The authors found that the prevalence of driving declined dramatically with the level of cognitive functioning. About 10% of the 59 demented persons still driving, relied on co-pilots. The authors concluded that incident dementia is a major cause of driving cessation. Based on the data obtained, it is estimated that approximately 4% of male drivers aged 75 years and older nationwide have dementia. (A)
Abstract