Living with dementia and driving: A telehealth delivered Intervention to improve driving cessation outcomes for people with dementia and their families

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This project investigates the effectiveness of a telehealth delivered, evidence-based driving cessation intervention for people with dementia and their family members who are retiring from driving, through a cluster randomised controlled trial. Stopping driving impacts health and quality of life for people with dementia and their care partners, and poses considerable challenges to health professionals who monitor driving issues. Without intensive practical and emotional support to plan for, and eventually, cease driving, people with dementia are at high risk for depression, anxiety, grief, social isolation, unsafe and unlicensed driving and injury. Telehealth or telemedicine – the transmission of clinical health care using telecommunication and information technologies – has been successfully used across a variety of practice contexts in rural and remote settings. It has been shown to improve access to health care for people living in geographically isolated areas - highly relevant for Australia’s dispersed population. Additionally, for the growing numbers of older people living with dementia and their carers who wish to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, telehealth provides important health services which might otherwise be difficult to access in-home and cost-saving advantages over traditional face-to-face delivery. Videoconferencing eliminates the need to travel for treatment, which is important in the context of driving cessation. The CarFreeMe program is a comprehensive support- and education-based intervention targeted at people with dementia and their care partners and family members to manage the transition from driving to non-driving status. CarFreeMe for people with dementia is a translation of a proven driving cessation intervention for people without cognitive decline (formerly UQDrive) and is based on what people who have experienced driving cessation said that they needed to adjust, and stay active and engaged. The intervention is unique in that it is focused on both the practical and emotional issues that are experienced as a result of driving cessation. The intervention includes seven modules that cover education and practical support, delivered by an experienced health professional who is trained in CarFreeMe delivery. In the telehealth format, health professionals (e.g. occupational therapists, psychologists) will be trained to deliver aspects of the intervention directly via a secure telehealth videoconferencing app at the client end, and delivering the program via the telerehabilitation clinic at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane. The telehealth intervention is designed to be flexible. The individualised program could involve a combination of one-to-one sessions and virtual groups, practical outings and activities with the support of a local experienced health professional, as well as home-based independent written and verbal activities in a provided work book.

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