Disabled driving charity to deliver OT-led Driver Assessment education at this year’s OT Show
Aiming to provide valuable insight into the client driving assessment process, Senior Occupational Therapist Philip North will be delivering educational sessions to OTs at this year’s OT Show.
The ‘Medical Fitness to Drive – maintaining independent mobility’ sessions are being delivered in conjunction with Driving Mobility, a charity which accredits a network of 20 centres providing support and driving assessments for disabled people, along with its regional partner William Merritt Disabled Living Centre.
Being held continuously throughout the two days of the OT Show, the educational sessions will outline how the Driving Mobility assessments check client physical and cognitive abilities with a view to driving a vehicle safely and in comfort.
Additionally, visitors to the sessions will receive advice on aids and adaptations that assist in driving to help OTs develop a greater understanding of vehicle adaptions and support available to help clients remain behind the wheel of a car.
According to Driving Mobility, each driving assessment establishes a person’s fitness to drive, related to a medical condition and is carried out by a team of qualified OTs and Approved Driving Instructors. On stand, Driving Mobility will demonstrate and discuss the role of their OTs when assessing cognitive and physical driving abilities.
In addition, there will also be a driving simulator in order to help OTs experience and gain a full understanding of the key aspects of driving that are being assessed.
After attending the sessions, the national driving charity says delegates will reflect on the role of occupational therapy within driving and benefit from a greater appreciation of the link between driving and independence.
OTs will also leave with an enhanced understanding of the practical elements of a driving assessment, including the cognitive skills being evaluated – such as visual perception, decision making, memory and higher executive thinking – and physical function – the ability to steer and use foot controls and change gear.
The sessions will be delivered by Philip North, a nationally respected specialist in medical fitness to drive assessments and OT from The William Merritt Centre in Leeds with over 30 years of clinical practice experience.
Managing Driver Assessment Services across three regional sites in Leeds, Sheffield and York, he will aim to impart his wealth of knowledge and expertise in postural, driver and passenger assessments to delegates at this year’s show.
Session:
Medical Fitness to Drive – maintaining independent mobility
Dates and times:
27th November, 10:30-10:45, 11:30-11:45, 12:30-12:45, 14:30-14:45.
28th November, 10:30-10:45, 11:30-11:45, 12:30-12:45, 14:30-14:45.
Location:
OT Show, NEC Birmingham. Stand K51
