The Program
Who Can this Program Help?
The D.E.E.R Program is appropriate for the broad spectrum of cognitive disabilities. We will work with clients who have dementia, stroke, learning disabilities, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, mental health problems and other causes of function deficits. We will also work with client's families as well, to determine the client's driving needs, plan driving routes and provide follow-up re-evaluation as needed.
For more information, refer to the Program Eligibility.
Phases I & II: Intake Processing and Clinical Screening
After completion of paperwork, including a medical history and medication review, clients will undergo a battery of clinical tests. This may take up to two hours (depending on the client's presenting needs and any disabilities), since it consists of...
- Evaluation of medical history, medication review and driving performance.
- Vision and peripheral field examination
- Hearing assessment, if indicated
- Motor skills testing and reflex timing
- Cognitive/memory evaluation
Phase III: Driving Simulation
Following the clinical evaluations, clients may be candidates for the "in-car" driving performance assessment in the program's AAA Michigan Driving Simulator.
D.E.E.R does not involve on-road assessments. Instead, the Driving Simulator "car" allows the driver to virtually handle "hazardous" road scenes, which is not feasible through a real "on the road" evaluation.
Though driving simulation, D.E.E.R. staff will evaluate your skills with vehicle control, adherence to traffic rules and regulations, environmental awareness and consistent use of compensatory strategies for visual, cognitive and behavioral impairments.
This may take up to 1-2 hours (depending on the driver's needs), and can be scheduled on a seperate day, to best suit your personal needs.
Phase IV: Education and Referral Coordination
Preliminary findings and impressions will be reviewed with you.
Community referrals will also be provided, as appropriate, including the AARP Driver Safety Program.
A formal, comprehensive report will be issued to your referring physician.
You will receive a postcard to notify you when your report has been mailed to your physician. Please make an appointment to review findings with your physician, so you can review findings and strategize what you should do to ensure optimal safety on the road.
Phase V: Driving Re-evaluation
Should it be recommended to re-evaluate driving performance after a period of time, we will be happy to accommodate. Depending on needs, we will customize the clinical re-screening and follow-up driving simulation.
When calling for an appointment, please inform the scheduling desk that you are a current client in need of a follow-up re-evaluation (so we can pull your files).
