February 12, 2025
Welcome to The Climb, your weekly journey with Lifecycle Sherpa, where we explore Parkinson’s Disease, its symptoms, treatments, tips, techniques, and build a supportive and knowledgeable community.
This week’s trail leads us to… Driving and Parkinson’s Disease (Part 1)
Fact: As symptoms such as tremors, cognitive changes, slowing movements, vision changes, sleep issues and psychiatric issues begin, it is important to address whether driving is still safe. Not only for you, but for others on the road and even for the little boy who runs out into the road to get his ball.
Tip: Check in with an Occupational Therapist for an initial driver’s assessment (called the Assessment of Driving-Related Skills) or with an Occupational Therapist who specializes in driver rehabilitation for a more comprehensive, on the road assessment, in addition to speaking with your physician.
What to look out for! What symptoms can directly affect driving and should be a red flag?
- Poor spatial awareness: Are you bumping into walls?
- Poor depth perception: Trouble measuring footsteps on the stairs?
- Slow reaction timing: Can you catch a ball thrown at you?
- Poor short term and long term memory
- Freezing
- AND MORE
We always encourage feedback, as it helps us enhance our community. Feel free to reach out regarding future topics you want to learn about, or how we can improve your experience.
See you next week!