Dear Editor:
Having recently becoming a senior citizen, I attended MLA Joe Anglin’s presentation on Senior’s Right To Drive. Although billed as an “information session,” it was actually more of a mis-information session. So I feel compelled to provide some facts:
• By provincial legislation, all seniors who wish to maintain their driver’s licence beyond the age of 75 must have a medical examination regarding their physical and mental suitability to drive. That senior can attend any physician in the province, not necessarily their own family doctor.
• During the medical examination, the doctor is required to decide if a road test is recommended. To assist the doctor in making this determination, I and my Rimbey colleagues have adopted a tool called the Simard test. The Simard is a simple mental questionnaire administered by a nurse and is free of charge. This test correlates with the mental skills needed for driving. It is not a test for dementia. The Simard test is not a requirement of the province and can be refused. However refusal makes it more difficult for the doctor to determine the need for road testing and makes it more likely that road testing will be recommended.
• If road testing is recommended, the current best test of driving competence is provided by a privately owned company, Drive Able. The expense of the Drive Able evaluation is borne by the senior. Drive Able is not a requirement of the province and can be declined. The alternative is a road test with one of the province’s local driver examiners.
• Contrary to the statement made by Mr. Anglin’s senior’s advocate, there is no fee paid to the doctor for the Simard or the Drive Able test.
For many years the province has downloaded the responsibility of determining fitness to drive onto doctors. This can be a difficult task most doctors dislike. After all, family doctors advocate for their senior patients and do not like to be responsible for limiting their mobility or independence. If Mr. Anglin is concerned about a senior’s right to drive, he could use his influence as an MLA to have the province take rightful ownership of a standardized testing process so that all seniors are assessed equally throughout the province.
M. G. Boorman, MD