Driving with Parkinson’s Disease: Exploring Lived Experience

Abstract

A growing body of literature has explored the impact of Parkinson’s disease (PD) on fitness to drive. As such, evidence now supports the use of specific clinical tests for screening purposes, the predictive validity of risk impressions, and the critical driving errors that predict on-road pass/fail outcomes in this population. However, little is known about the lived experiences of persons with PD as they navigate driving-related concerns such as driving impairments, cessation, potential threats to independence, and community mobility. This qualitative secondary data analysis aimed to explore the driving-related lived experiences of persons with PD. We utilized summative content analysis to identify themes related to driving from transcribed interviews with nineteen community-dwelling individuals with PD who participated in the primary study. Five themes emerged within the analysis: (1) the meaning and significance of driving; (2) driving cessation; (3) modified driving behaviors; (4) factors affecting driving; and (5) accessibility. Participants identified driving as an activity that holds significant importance—both directly (i.e., as a primary activity) and as a means for enabling other activities. This study lays the foundation for the development of client-centred and evidence-informed driving interventions for individuals with PD, as well as the development of driving retirement programs.

Life‐Space Mobility and Parkinson's Disease. A Multiple‐Methods Study

“…Modifying driving behaviors (ie, avoiding driving in the dark or traffic) was a theme of a previous qualitative study exploring experiences of driving in PwPD. 46 Participants who did not drive acknowledged worrying about burdening loved ones by asking for rides and thus, were not as participatory as they may like to be. 46 Social participation was significantly associated with LSM with the PD cohort; however, the directional relationship between social participation and LSM was undetermined because of the cross-sectional survey design.…”

“…46 Participants who did not drive acknowledged worrying about burdening loved ones by asking for rides and thus, were not as participatory as they may like to be. 46 Social participation was significantly associated with LSM with the PD cohort; however, the directional relationship between social participation and LSM was undetermined because of the cross-sectional survey design. In this, and previous studies, PwPD discussed activity avoidance, including social participation, due to concerns about self-efficacy, feeling embarrassed, and falling.…”

“…Participants who drove often adapted their driving behaviors in response to PD, learning to carefully plan excursions around medication schedules, symptoms and driving conditions. Modifying driving behaviors (ie, avoiding driving in the dark or traffic) was a theme of a previous qualitative study exploring experiences of driving in PwPD 46 . Participants who did not drive acknowledged worrying about burdening loved ones by asking for rides and thus, were not as participatory as they may like to be 46 …”

“…Modifying driving behaviors (ie, avoiding driving in the dark or traffic) was a theme of a previous qualitative study exploring experiences of driving in PwPD 46 . Participants who did not drive acknowledged worrying about burdening loved ones by asking for rides and thus, were not as participatory as they may like to be 46 …”

Fahrkompetenz und Morbus Parkinson

“…Die Fahrkompetenz ist ein wesentlicher Bereich des täglichen Lebens, der durch die körperlichen, visuellen und kognitiven Beeinträchtigungen bei Patienten mit Morbus Parkinson eingeschränkt sein kann [1,2]. Die eigenständige Nutzung eines Fahrzeugs berührt die Erreichbarkeit medizinischer Versorgung, bis hin zum Erhalt der Unabhängigkeit sowie dem Identitäts-und Kompetenzgefühl von Erkrankten [3,4]. Parkinson-Patienten sind im Vergleich zu altersgleichen Fahrern stärker in ihrer Fahrkompetenz beeinträchtigt, wobei sich besonders ein höheres Alter und der Abbau kognitiver Fähigkeiten negativ auf die Fahrkompetenz auswirken [5,6].…”