Freund receives
$250,000 grant from Alzheimer's Association to study driver safety among
motorists with dementia
Research volunteers needed
to participate in study
August 24, 2005
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Barbara Freund, Ph.D. |
NORFOLK—The
Glennan Center for Geriatrics
and Gerontology at EVMS has received a $250,000 grant from the
national Alzheimer’s Association to study driver safety among
motorists with dementia.
Barbara Freund, Ph.D., a nationally
known expert in the evaluation of drivers with cognitive impairment,
is principal investigator of the study titled “Enhancing Independence:
Prescribing Strategies to Promote Continued Driving.” Freund’s career
has been dedicated to developing ways to help motorists remain on the
road as long as possible.
For her research supported by the
Alzheimer’s Association, Freund will study motorists with Alzheimer’s,
memory loss, dementia or some degree of cognitive impairment to
determine if, with certain restrictions, they can continue to drive
safely.
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| “I hope
to be able to demonstrate that just because you’ve been diagnosed
with a disease doesn’t mean you lack the skills to drive safely.”
Barbara Freund, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the
Older Driver Research Program |
|
Some states prohibit motorists from
driving after they are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Freund’s research
could provide the first evidence that cognitively impaired drivers can
continue to drive with proper restrictions.
“I hope to be able to demonstrate that
just because you’ve been diagnosed with a disease doesn’t mean you
lack the skills to drive safely,” Freund said.
Freund is an assistant professor of
internal medicine and director of the Older Driver Research Program in
the Glennan Center at EVMS. She also oversees a clinical program where
she uses a realistic driving simulator to evaluate the driving skills
of motorists thought to have some cognitive impairment.
Freund has found that drivers who make
certain errors on the simulator may be able to drive safely with the
proper limitations. For instance, for a motorist who easily loses his
way, Freund might recommend that he always be accompanied by a
licensed driver. Or, for those easily distracted behind the wheel,
Freund might recommend that the driver always travel alone.
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To participate in the driver safety study, or to
learn more about
it, call the
Glennan Center
at 446-7340. |
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Freund has developed 29 different
restrictions based on a driver’s errors. Her research has been so
convincing that the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles now follows
Freund’s recommendations on driver restrictions.
One expert asked to review Freund’s
grant proposal acknowledged that Freund posed important questions.
“Not only does this proposal address the
important issue of driving competence in cognitively impaired elderly,
it also attempts to describe the impact of driving restrictions on
continued safe driving,” the reviewer wrote. “As most elderly drivers
impose restrictions at some point, this project may provide a
significant contribution to the existing research.”
Motorists who volunteer to participate
in Freund’s study will receive all evaluations at no cost and will be
reimbursed for their time. Freund will be recruiting more than 100
motorists. Each will have a baseline evaluation on the driving
simulator and will be evaluated again six, 12 and 18 months later.
Top
For more information, contact:
Doug Gardner, Director of News and
Publications
EVMS Office of Institutional
Advancement
(757) 446-6070 - gardneda@evms.edu
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