Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    The Effect of the Global Positioning System on the Driving Performance of People with Mild Alzheimer's Disease

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Yi, Jewel
    Lee, Hoe
    Parsons, Richard
    Falkmer, Torbjorn
    Date
    2014
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Yi, J. and Lee, H. and Parsons, R. and Falkmer, T. 2014. The Effect of the Global Positioning System on the Driving Performance of People with Mild Alzheimer's Disease. Gerontology. 61 (1): pp. 79-88.
    Source Title
    Gerontology
    DOI
    10.1159/000365922
    ISSN
    0304-324X
    School
    School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29782
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Introduction: The initial symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include attention deficits, memory loss and deficiencies in topographic and spatial orientation. People with AD may have way-finding difficulties in driving due to the deterioration of their navigation ability. Although the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proven to be a useful aid for older people in driving, there is no evidence to suggest that the benefit could extend to drivers with AD. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the GPS in assisting drivers with mild AD in finding their destination safely. Method: Twenty-eight drivers with mild to very mild AD, diagnosed by a general practitioner or a psychogeriatrician, completed all clinical and psychometric assessments including the Mini Mental State Examination, Trail Making Test B and Doors and People Test. During the driving assessment, 3 driving trials with different settings (normal, visual-only and audio-only) of the GPS were administered to all participants. The participants were required to follow instructions from the GPS and perform a variety of driving tasks on a driving simulator. The driving performances of participants were assessed by criteria specific to AD drivers. The driving assessment criteria were first combined to form the overall driving performance score: a higher score indicated a better overall driving performance. The other outcome of this study was the success of participants to navigate to a predetermined destination. Results: The driving performance of participants was different among the 3 settings (F = 72.8, p < 0.001) and the pairwise comparison between the 3 settings was significant (p < 0.001). The driving performance score was highest in the audio-only setting (mean: 20.0, SD: 2.2), moderate in the normal setting (mean: 16.7, SD: 2.6) and lowest in the visual-only setting (mean: 14.3, SD: 3.3). When compared with the visual-only setting, drivers using the audio-only setting (OR: 37.2, 95% CI: 9.2-151.2) and normal setting (OR: 37.2, 95% CI: 4.8-286.9) were more likely to successfully find their destination (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study has found that using single, simple auditory instructions with the absence of the visual output of the GPS could potentially help people with mild AD to improve their driving ability and reach their destination.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Impact of cataract surgery on driving difficulty and quality of life for older drivers
      Fraser, Michelle Louise (2011)
      The demand for cataract surgery is set to increase due to the ageing population of Australia. Cataracts are usually bilateral, but cataract surgery is almost always performed one eye at a time. Previous investigations of ...
    • Performance of Drivers with Parkinson's Disease under the Effect of Cognitive Overloading: Insinuation for Assessment and Training
      Lee, Hoe; Falkmer, Torbjorn; Chee, Derserri (2011)
      Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease include a combination of slowness of movement, increased tone, tremor and loss of postural reflexes. Cognitive changes and dementia can also be found in older people suffering ...
    • Performance of drivers with Parkinson's Disease under the effect of cognitive overloading: insinuation for assessment and training
      Chee, Derserri; Lee, Hoe; Lee, Andy; Falkmer, Torbjorn (2013)
      Background: Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) include a combination of slowness of movement, increased tone, tremor and loss of postural reflexes. Cognitive changes and dementia can also be found in older ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.