Special Issue on Older Driver Safety and Community Mobility

As our population ages, more older adults are living longer with chronic conditions, using multiple medications, and experiencing multiple comorbidities—all of which can affect safe driving and independence in community mobility. Ensuring participation in society through safe driving or independent use of community mobility is a critical issue for occupational therapists and agents of the aging network. We know that driving cessation is linked to social isolation, depression, and early nursing home admissions and, as such contributes to health care costs and decreased quality of life (Freeman, Gange, Munoz, & West, 2006; Marottoli et al., 1997, 2000). However, occupational therapists, being skilled professionals who assist people to maintain participation in desired occupations and roles, can embrace driver evaluation and rehabilitation as a critical and emerging practice area to ensure that older drivers stay on the road longer and safer (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2005)....