My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers Frontal Lobe Dementia in September and advised to take a driving assessment. This took place last week and he as been advised not to drive until we hear from DVLA. Does anyone know if it can be contested and if so how please?
Driving assessments for people with dementia
- Thread starter Junibells
- Start date
Hello @Junibells and welcome to tp.
I’ve attached the link to the Alzheimer’s fact sheet on driving I hope it is of help
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/staying-independent/driving-and-dementia
I’ve attached the link to the Alzheimer’s fact sheet on driving I hope it is of help
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/staying-independent/driving-and-dementia
Hi Junibells the simple answer is Yes although its not looking great if the assessor advised him not to drive, I expect I will be the only person with a diagnoses of dementia that will reply I was given a one year driving Licence in 2001 this was renewed every year until 2012 albeit every year I wrote to them in 2012 I’d had enough so I gathered evidence to Challenge their decision in Court , my evidence included a short Video of my hiring a car in Majorca and driving, letters from my Insurance Agent, Doctors Consultants, and a driving assessment report from the DVLA Disability assessment Centre, I now have a Full driving Licence to sum up obviously you will need a lot of supportive evidence to go to Court , it would be unwise to challenge in Court without that evidence, hope it helps and Good Luck
I have been replying to these types of Driving issues since March 2005 unfortunately you won't find much support on TP though to continue driving
I have been replying to these types of Driving issues since March 2005 unfortunately you won't find much support on TP though to continue driving
Last edited:
Thank you for your reply. Were you able to request another driving assessment? This one was conducted at a Disability Assessment centre but my husband didn't like the gears etc on the car and struggled to get used to them. He would have been better had he been able to do it in his own car.Hi Junibells the simple answer is Yes although its not looking great if the assessor advised him not to drive, I expect I will be the only person with a diagnoses of dementia that will reply I was given a one year driving Licence in 2001 this was renewed every year until 2012 albeit every year I wrote to them in 2012 I’d had enough so I gathered evidence to Challenge their decision in Court , my evidence included a short Video of my hiring a car in Majorca and driving, letters from my Insurance Agent, Doctors Consultants, and a driving assessment report from the DVLA Disability assessment Centre, I now have a Full driving Licence to sum up obviously you will need a lot of supportive evidence to go to Court , it would be unwise to challenge in Court without that evidence, hope it helps and Good Luck
I have been replying to these types of Driving issues since March 2005 unfortunately you won't find much support on TP though to continue driving
Hi again Junibells Yes my assessment was carried out at the Disability Centre this was at my own request obviously I had to pay for the assessment and the report myself in 2012 it was £65 { my report Hopefully the following will help }
Junibellsa Copy of my Driving Assessment Report Obviously Confidential bits remove xxx
COGNITIVE & PERCEPTUAL ASSESSMENT (IF TESTED)
Speech and Language: Appeared unaffected
Memory: Good, of eight unrelated pictures shown Mr ******* scored 7/8 on immediate recall and 6/8 on delayed recall (approximately 15 mins).
Reasoning Ability: Appeared normal Mr ******* scored well in all the flexible thinking and problem solving tabletop tests.
Concentration/Attention:During both the table top session and the on road drive Mr **********showed good concentration and divided attention. On the tabletop tests Mr ********* registered all the target words whilst continuing with the scanning exercise which was also completed quickly and accurately.
Visual/Spatial Skills: Mr ******** completed the visual scanning exercise quickly and confidently with no errors and the remainder of the visual/spatial appreciation exercises, including position discrimination and shape perception, were completed to a high standard.
Behaviour: Mr *******was courteous throughout the assessment process to both the assessor and other road users.
DIAGNOSIS: Alzheimer’s andFrontal temporal lobe damage with slight memory loss as reported on the pre assessment questionnaire.
FUNCTION: On the day of assessment Mr ******* was able to demonstrate an acceptable range of strength, movement and dexterity of the head and neck, trunk, both upper limbs and hands and both lower limbs and feet.
Mr ***** reports no loss of sensation in the upper or lower limbs and co-ordination and proprioception both appeared to be satisfactory on the day of assessment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Mr ****** reports that he has recently had his licence renewed by the DVLA following an application for a new photocard licence, however Mr ******** is unhappy that the DVLA have only issued his licence for a one year period
Mr ******* is now in the process of collecting evidence with regards to his ability to drive safely and to challenge the DVLA’s decision to issue a one year licence. However Mr ***** has been advised that this report has not been produced for legal purposes and therefore should he require a report that can be used in court he will require another, court compliant report and this would be at an additional charge. Mr ***** reports that his Consultant is currently supportive of him driving and he hopes to obtain a letter from his GP to support his application for a three year licence. This report however can only be based on the assessor’s observations on the day of assessment and the assessor cannot comment on Mr ******* continued ability to drive safely in the future.
Mr ****** did produce a letter from his consultant that reported a deterioration in his condition when he was temporarily taken off the Aricept medication,
DRIVING ASSESSMENT: On the day of assessment following the table-top tests which suggested, in the assessor’s opinion, that there were no major cognitive issues, the drive was conducted in Mr ******* own manual transmission ******* *******. Weather conditions were dry and bright and traffic conditions were light to moderate. The standard ******* assessment route was used for the drive, and the drive was approximately 1 hour 15 minutes long taking in various A and B class roads, mini roundabouts and multi-lane roundabouts as well as national speed limit roads and quieter residential roads with numerous parked cars.
Mr ****** maintained acceptable control of his vehicle throughout the drive, changing gears appropriately for his speed and operating all pedals accurately as and when required. Mr ******* was asked to perform an emergency stop and this was conducted to an acceptable standard with Mr ********* locating the brake pedal quickly and accurately and stopping the vehicle promptly.
A reversing exercise was also conducted during the drive in which Mr ********* also maintained acceptable control of his vehicle and carried out acceptable observations.
Throughout the drive Mr ********* responded satisfactorily to the assessor’s instructions and also followed road signs and road markings to a good standard. Mr ********* responded to traffic signals and signals of other road users satisfactorily.
Overall, throughout the drive, Mr ****** was able to satisfactorily divide his attention, maintaining his concentration on the road/traffic whilst holding a conversation with the assessor.
Mr ******* was reminded early on in the drive that his speed should be a little slower in some of the quieter residential areas with 30mph limits, particularly in situations where there were parked cars and oncoming traffic. For the remainder of the drive Mr ****** took this information on board and when driving in similar situations took more care with his speed and did not rush. For the remainder of the drive Mr ******* speed was appropriate for the road and traffic conditions.
SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS: In the assessor’s opinion, on the day of assessment, Mr ******* drove his manual transmission vehicle to an acceptable standard, and also demonstrated that he was willing to take on board comments made by the assessor that would potentially correct one or two bad habits. In the assessor’s opinion, Mr ******* current medical condition is not adversely impacting on his ability to drive at this time.
Mr ******* is aware of his medical condition and the possible impact this may have on driving at some point in the future.
Junibells Obviously not everyone will challange it's personal choice however i said previoisly need to gather evidance
Junibellsa Copy of my Driving Assessment Report Obviously Confidential bits remove xxx
COGNITIVE & PERCEPTUAL ASSESSMENT (IF TESTED)
Speech and Language: Appeared unaffected
Memory: Good, of eight unrelated pictures shown Mr ******* scored 7/8 on immediate recall and 6/8 on delayed recall (approximately 15 mins).
Reasoning Ability: Appeared normal Mr ******* scored well in all the flexible thinking and problem solving tabletop tests.
Concentration/Attention:During both the table top session and the on road drive Mr **********showed good concentration and divided attention. On the tabletop tests Mr ********* registered all the target words whilst continuing with the scanning exercise which was also completed quickly and accurately.
Visual/Spatial Skills: Mr ******** completed the visual scanning exercise quickly and confidently with no errors and the remainder of the visual/spatial appreciation exercises, including position discrimination and shape perception, were completed to a high standard.
Behaviour: Mr *******was courteous throughout the assessment process to both the assessor and other road users.
DIAGNOSIS: Alzheimer’s andFrontal temporal lobe damage with slight memory loss as reported on the pre assessment questionnaire.
FUNCTION: On the day of assessment Mr ******* was able to demonstrate an acceptable range of strength, movement and dexterity of the head and neck, trunk, both upper limbs and hands and both lower limbs and feet.
Mr ***** reports no loss of sensation in the upper or lower limbs and co-ordination and proprioception both appeared to be satisfactory on the day of assessment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Mr ****** reports that he has recently had his licence renewed by the DVLA following an application for a new photocard licence, however Mr ******** is unhappy that the DVLA have only issued his licence for a one year period
Mr ******* is now in the process of collecting evidence with regards to his ability to drive safely and to challenge the DVLA’s decision to issue a one year licence. However Mr ***** has been advised that this report has not been produced for legal purposes and therefore should he require a report that can be used in court he will require another, court compliant report and this would be at an additional charge. Mr ***** reports that his Consultant is currently supportive of him driving and he hopes to obtain a letter from his GP to support his application for a three year licence. This report however can only be based on the assessor’s observations on the day of assessment and the assessor cannot comment on Mr ******* continued ability to drive safely in the future.
Mr ****** did produce a letter from his consultant that reported a deterioration in his condition when he was temporarily taken off the Aricept medication,
DRIVING ASSESSMENT: On the day of assessment following the table-top tests which suggested, in the assessor’s opinion, that there were no major cognitive issues, the drive was conducted in Mr ******* own manual transmission ******* *******. Weather conditions were dry and bright and traffic conditions were light to moderate. The standard ******* assessment route was used for the drive, and the drive was approximately 1 hour 15 minutes long taking in various A and B class roads, mini roundabouts and multi-lane roundabouts as well as national speed limit roads and quieter residential roads with numerous parked cars.
Mr ****** maintained acceptable control of his vehicle throughout the drive, changing gears appropriately for his speed and operating all pedals accurately as and when required. Mr ******* was asked to perform an emergency stop and this was conducted to an acceptable standard with Mr ********* locating the brake pedal quickly and accurately and stopping the vehicle promptly.
A reversing exercise was also conducted during the drive in which Mr ********* also maintained acceptable control of his vehicle and carried out acceptable observations.
Throughout the drive Mr ********* responded satisfactorily to the assessor’s instructions and also followed road signs and road markings to a good standard. Mr ********* responded to traffic signals and signals of other road users satisfactorily.
Overall, throughout the drive, Mr ****** was able to satisfactorily divide his attention, maintaining his concentration on the road/traffic whilst holding a conversation with the assessor.
Mr ******* was reminded early on in the drive that his speed should be a little slower in some of the quieter residential areas with 30mph limits, particularly in situations where there were parked cars and oncoming traffic. For the remainder of the drive Mr ****** took this information on board and when driving in similar situations took more care with his speed and did not rush. For the remainder of the drive Mr ******* speed was appropriate for the road and traffic conditions.
SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS: In the assessor’s opinion, on the day of assessment, Mr ******* drove his manual transmission vehicle to an acceptable standard, and also demonstrated that he was willing to take on board comments made by the assessor that would potentially correct one or two bad habits. In the assessor’s opinion, Mr ******* current medical condition is not adversely impacting on his ability to drive at this time.
Mr ******* is aware of his medical condition and the possible impact this may have on driving at some point in the future.
Junibells Obviously not everyone will challange it's personal choice however i said previoisly need to gather evidance
Last edited:
Recent Threads
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Is having to sell your home to pay for care legally enforcable?- Latest: northumbrian_k
-
