14 • BrainMatters • Spring/Summer 2023
DRIVING AND DEMENTIA:
How do you know when it's time to stop?
The quintessential rite of passage that is obtaining
a driver's license profoundly embodies a sense of
freedom. The independence that driving provides
offers lifelong opportunities to live responsibly and
on one's own terms. For many, driving begins in
one's teenage years and ceases some time in their
older years. But how do you know when it's time to
stop driving?
A change in health status can mark the time to
reconsider lifestyle habits, including driving. A
decline in one's cognitive health should be an integral
part of this evaluation. In Canada, approximately
597,000 people are living with dementia, and this is
expected to rise to 955,900 by 2030, according to the
Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Compared with healthy control subjects, people
with mild dementia have a marked deterioration in
their driving skills and double the risk of crashing,
according to Dr. Mark Rapoport, a geriatric
psychiatrist and Acting Head of Geriatric Psychiatry
at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. However, the
decision to stop driving after a diagnosis of dementia
is a complicated, difficult and emotional one.
To address this challenge, Dr. Gary Naglie, Vice-
President of Medical Services and Chief of Staff
at Baycrest, and Dr. Rapoport, along with a team
of researchers through the Canadian Consortium
on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), have
developed the Driving and Dementia Roadmap
(drivinganddementia.ca). This unique online resource
brings together information, videos, worksheets and
other materials to help navigate the decision in a
way that honours the individual while involving their
family or close community.
Information in the Driving and Dementia Roadmap is
tailored to three groups: older adults diagnosed with
dementia, caregivers of people with dementia, and
healthcare professionals.
