Rehabilitation

Dr. Horwitz brings 10 years of experience as a fieldwork educator to UF OTD Program.

To enable family members or friends, in the USA and Canada, to detect at-risk older drivers, Dr. Classen and colleagues, developed and tested the Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure (FTDS), a user friendly on-line tool http://fitnesstodrive.phhp.ufl.edu/. Family members, caregivers, or friends who had driven with the driver in the last three months, may rate the drivers’ difficulties by completing 54 screening questions. After completing the questions a keyform, or rating profile, of each driver is produced which includes a classification of the driver into one of three categories: at-risk driver, routine driver, or accomplished driver. Based on the specific driver category, recommendations-- the logical next steps for family members, friends or clinicians-- are suggested for each driver. These recommendations entail guidelines for continued fitness to drive, seeking interventions, or starting conversations about stopping driving. The FTDS has been translated into Japanese and Korean with demonstrated psychometric support for the Korean version. A shorter version has been developed (32 items) with excellent predictive validity of fitness to drive outcomes. This course will discuss each of these core activities and apply content information to an actual case study.

In the state of Florida, nearly 20 percent of the population is age 65 or older. For many, progression in age can mean regression in driving ability. But a new service offered by the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of occupational therapy aims to give seniors and others a chance to improve their skills behind the wheel.

In this course, the author author provides an overview of the case management. Definitions and roles among health professionals are included. The training also includes the types funding supporting case management and why rehabilitation professionals make great case managers.

The Fitness to Drive Screening Measure (FTDS) is a web-based questionnaire for screening senior drivers who are potentially at-risk. The FTDS is completed by a family member or caregiver of the senior driver. The results of the FTDS provide recommendations for the next steps as well as resources. However, occupational therapists who are generalists or specialists in driving rehabilitation can also use the results of the FTDS to better manage their clients' plan of care. This presentation will provide participants with an overview of the FTDS development and application. Through case studies, participants will learn how to analyze the FTDS results with clinical findings to inform their decisions about whether an on-road assessment is necessary. Participants will also learn how to use the FTDS key form results to complement the on-road assessment and as such provide a more comprehensive treatment plan and recommendations.

This course is designed for the healthcare professional who has experience in driving rehabilitation and is considering starting a private practice. The presenter provides an overview of information that needs to be gathered in order to make an informed decision about pursuing private practice. Participants will learn about business tools and strategies to guide their decision. In addition, the course includes a spreadsheet to create a financial plan for a driving rehabilitation practice.

This course will provide an overview of the development and use of a driving intervention tool, Drive Focus. The presenter will describe the tool’s evolution from an experience with a driving rehabilitation client to a visual-cognitive training application for driving. Participants will learn of the usability and efficacy studies that have been completed with the tool. In addition, participants will learn how Drive Focus may be used with clients in an in-patient, out-patient, or driving rehabilitation practice setting.

Graduates of this program are qualified to be entry-level driver rehabilitation therapists working with medically-at-risk drivers.

Sherrilene Classen, Ph.D., M.P.H., an internationally recognized scientist in driving rehabilitation, has been named chair of the department of occupational therapy at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. Sherrilene Classen, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA, FGSA Classen is currently a professor and director of…

Burns launched the first hospital rehabilitation program in Broward County, Fla. as a young UF grad. She’s been leading the growth and development of rehab in that area ever since. It was 1974 and Deborah (Schmucker) Burns, a brand-new UF occupational therapy graduate, had just been offered the opportunity…