![\"\"](\"http:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Driver-rehab-photo-of-Gail-Heath-by-James-Kesler-p.-6.jpg\" "\\"Driver")
<\/a>Gail Heath can chauffeur herself around again thanks to the Driver Rehabilitation Program and adaptive aids installed on her vehicle.<\/p><\/div>The clinical portion of the program began in 1994 at the hospital; within the last three years, it began offering road training. Last year, the program performed 100 behind-the-wheel evaluations and training for a varied group of individuals.<\/p>\n
The goal of the rehabilitation is to help people maintain their independence through driving and determine if an individual’s health has affected his or her ability to drive safely. Occupational therapists working in the program are trained and certified to assess driving skills, make vehicle modification recommendations, and provide training. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is difficult for most people to understand the feeling of being stuck in your home for hours at a time, dependent on others to take you to the simplest places,\u201d said Sylvania Township resident Gail Heath, who was a patient of the Driver Rehabilitation Program. \u201cWhat an amazing feeling it was to re-learn to drive with my adaptations and have my sense of independence back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drivers are assessed for their capabilities to continue driving and for whether they have the abilities to learn to drive with or without adaptations. <\/p>\n
After an initial assessment, the therapist may recommend the patient needs adaptive driving aids, which can include hand controls, special mirrors, or reduced-effort steering and braking systems. The therapist then trains the patient on how to use the driving aids in UTMC\u2019s modified car.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most common diagnoses for patients in the program in 2011 included stroke, dementia, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d said James Kesler, occupational therapist and certified driver rehab specialist. \u201cAll patients receive the same thorough care through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heath, who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and lost muscle strength on her right side last year, complimented Kesler as \u201cone of the most patient men I have ever encountered in my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never made me drive when I did not feel comfortable, but he still knew to push me past my limits in order to succeed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur program works with state vocational rehab clinics and self-referred individuals with the goals to drive safely and successfully,\u201d Kesler said. \u201cOur job is not complete until we have given a sense of freedom back to every one of our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n