Regain Safe Driving Independence: OT Assessments for Injured Workers Funded by icare, Lifetime Care & DVA
Driving is a vital skill that supports social connection, employment, and daily living, but injuries can impair safe driving ability—making specialized occupational therapy driving assessments essential for injured workers to regain independence and ensure road safety.
At Modified Driving Solutions, our team of professionals, including Driver Trained Occupational Therapists, are able to help those people to get back on the road. We have a long history of working in collaboration with government and non-government agencies such as iCare, Lifetime Care and Veterans Affair.
Comprehensive Support for Injured Drivers: Assessment, Therapy, and Vehicle Modifications Tailored to Individual Needs
Our goal at Modified Driving Solutions is to aid people in their return to the road through a range of different measures such as confidence building, therapy, vehicle modification and general cognitive improvement in the case of injury.
Our qualified professionals are able to help in the following areas;
We strive to offer a high-quality experience for all patients in the Sydney region offering;
What is a Driving Assessment?
Our driving assessments are designed to gain an understanding of the client’s overall health and wellbeing, and then subsequently their ability to drive safely on the road. There are 3 parts to the driving assessment being the off-road, on-road and post-assessment stages.
A qualified Occupational Therapist and a rehabilitation driving instructor will be present during the assessment. All of our Occupational Therapists are driver trained to ensure the highest level of safety and understanding can support the client to give them the best chance of returning to the road.
The overall duration of the assessment is dependent on the condition of the person. In general, it takes between 2 and 3 hours.
Some participants may have access to support when it comes to the driving assessment with iCare able to provide assistance for eligible patients.
OFF ROAD ASSESSMENT
The main aim of this stage of the assessment is to identify and/or confirm the existing medical conditions, illnesses or injuries that are likely to affect ability to drive. The Occupational Therapist will conduct visual, cognitive and physical assessments to look for any obvious deficits in these areas, and anticipate how any issues may impact on the person’s driving capacity. It is also crucial at this stage to ensure the person has medical clearance from a Doctor to drive for the assessment.
This is completed by the driver trained Occupational Therapist in your own home and it is acceptable for family members to be present at this time to offer support.
ON-ROAD ASSESSMENT
This is the phase of the assessment where the client is required to drive and is conducted around their local suburbs. They will be given some time to become familiar with the vehicle. The patient will be driving in one of the dual controlled cars supplied by Modified Driving Solutions to ensure a high level of safety is practiced for those in the car, others on the road and for pedestrians.
The qualified driving instructor with be in the front seat with the patient and the driver trained Occupational Therapist will be in the back seat. This acts like a driving test and evaluates the person’s ability to drive safely and take note of the changing elements around them as they drive.
Common Conditions for OT Driving Assessments
Driving Rehabilitation for Injured Workers: icare-Funded Road Readiness
At Modified Driving Solutions, we provide rehabilitation programs for people who have suffered workplace injuries or are attempting to return to work following an injury. Our programs are designed to prepare clients for the road and we work with clients, rehabilitation providers and insurance companies to ensure the best result for our clients.
Many people who have experienced serious workplace injuries may be able to apply for assistance for their driving assessment, with iCare offering support for individuals who qualify. This means that they will offer a range of support services in order to benefit your health and do their best to get you back to driving in spite of your injuries and/or illness.
As part of this program for those in rehabilitation, our professionals are available for education services in order to answer any questions and inform clients of the rules and restrictions that they may or may not be facing. This enables people to understand what is involved in the process of returning to driving, to ensure that you are going to be able to drive to a safe standard.
Corporate Programs
Corporate sessions are available for businesses that require their employees to regularly drive to locations. We offer both practical and theory based sessions to best equip those employees with the skills required to maintain a high level of safety on the road.
Companies may benefit from this program as it provides a wholesome assessment of employees’ ability to drive and also helps them to understand various scenarios that they may face in their time on the road. We are able to create personalised programs to best suit the needs and requirements of your business and your employees.
Some of the specific inclusions in these programs can be;
Medical Practitioner
Medical professionals often have the closest relationship to an individual in terms of their overall health and wellbeing. Should you, as a health professional, have any questions about a patient’s competence to drive, it is encouraged that you report them voluntarily for the safety of everyone on the road. It is understandable that there may be some hesitation in doing so, as it may damage the therapeutic relationship. That is why referring them to an unbiased, qualified Occupational Therapist may be the best option in order to get an objective clinical opinion.
Our professional Occupational Therapists at Modified Driving Solutions are trained specifically in determining a person’s ability to drive making it the best possible choice for any individual. If clients are worried about the costs involved, it is important to understand that they may be eligible for support in their driving assessment with iCare or other eligible schemes able to assist.
