scholarly journals The effect of driving simulator program on elderly drivers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deokju Kim
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Elderly Drivers ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Frontal Lobe Function ◽  
Simulator Program

Abstract Background: The purpose of the present study was to present evidence for driving interventions for the elderly by conducting programs that can improve visual perception and cognitive function in a driving simulator for elderly drivers and analyse their effects.Methods: Three elderly subjects who were 65 years or older, did not have physical and cognitive impairments, and were able to drive themselves participated in the present study. A total of 12 intervention sessions, of which subjects participated in 10 sessions of nine different visual perception and cognitive function programs available in a driving simulator, were conducted and pre- and post-program assessments were conducted (two assessments in total). The assessments included the evaluation of visual perception, frontal lobe function, concentration, safe driving behaviour, and self-efficacy.Results: The results showed positive effects of the driving simulator program on the visual perception, frontal lobe function, concentration, safe driving behaviour, and self-efficacy of all subjects. Changes in the simulator results showed remarkable improvement in the response evaluation, judgment evaluation, and predictive power evaluation, but showed difficulties in interference tasks and depth perception in common.Conclusions: The results showed positive effects of driving simulator training on the driving ability of the elderly, and consistent provision of such training is expected to improve the quality of life of the elderly by securing the safety of driving and actively supporting social participation.

Effects of a Group Program to Increase Cognitive Performance Through Cognitively Stimulating Leisure Activities in Healthy Older Subjects

GeroPsych ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina A. Tesky ◽  
Christian Thiel ◽  
Winfried Banzer ◽  
Johannes Pantel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Group Program ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Older Subjects

To investigate the effects of leisure activities on cognitive performance of healthy older subjects, an innovative intervention program was developed. Frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities (i.e., reading, playing chess, or playing music) is associated with reduced risk of dementia. AKTIVA (active cognitive stimulation – prevention in the elderly) is an intervention program designed to enhance cognitive stimulation in everyday life by increasing cognitive stimulating leisure activities. The present study determines the effects of AKTIVA on cognitive function, mood and attitude toward aging in a sample of older participants from the general population. Several measurement instruments were used including the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), the Trail-Making Test (TMT), and the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Initially, the sample consisted of 307 older persons (170 female, 72 ± 7 years). The intervention was evaluated with a randomized, controlled pre-post follow-up design. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: AKTIVA intervention (n = 126), AKTIVA intervention plus nutrition and exercise counseling (n = 84), no-intervention control group (n = 97). The AKTIVA intervention consisted of 8 weekly sessions and two booster sessions after a break of 4 months. Participation in the group program resulted in positive effects on cognitive function and attitude toward aging for subassembly groups. Older persons (≥ 75 years) showed enhanced speed of information processing (by TMT Version A) (F = 4.17*, p < .05); younger participants (< 75 years) showed an improvement in subjective memory decline (by MAC-Q) (F = 2.55*, p < .05). Additionally, AKTIVA enhanced the frequency of activities for leisure activities for subassembly groups. The results of this study suggest that the AKTIVA program can be used to increase cognitively stimulating leisure activities in the elderly. Further research is necessary to identify the long-term effects of this intervention particularly with respect to the prevention of dementia.

scholarly journals A Dialogue-Based System with Photo and Storytelling for Older Adults: Toward Daily Cognitive Training

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiki Tokunaga ◽  
Kazuhiro Tamura ◽  
Mihoko Otake-Matsuura
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Question Answering ◽  
Design Method ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Assistive Robots ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
At Home

As the elderly population grows worldwide, living a healthy and full life as an older adult is becoming a topic of great interest. One key factor and severe challenge to maintaining quality of life in older adults is cognitive decline. Assistive robots for helping older adults have been proposed to solve issues such as social isolation and dependent living. Only a few studies have reported the positive effects of dialogue robots on cognitive function but conversation is being discussed as a promising intervention that includes various cognitive tasks. Existing dialogue robot-related studies have reported on placing dialogue robots in elderly homes and allowing them to interact with residents. However, it is difficult to reproduce these experiments since the participants’ characteristics influence experimental conditions, especially at home. Besides, most dialogue systems are not designed to set experimental conditions without on-site support. This study proposes a novel design method that uses a dialogue-based robot system for cognitive training at home. We define challenges and requirements to meet them to realize cognitive function training through daily communication. Those requirements are designed to satisfy detailed conditions such as duration of dialogue, frequency, and starting time without on-site support. Our system displays photos and gives original stories to provide contexts for dialogue that help the robot maintain a conversation for each story. Then the system schedules dialogue sessions along with the participant’s plan. The robot moderates the user to ask a question and then responds to the question by changing its facial expression. This question-answering procedure continued for a specific duration (4 min). To verify our design method’s effectiveness and implementation, we conducted three user studies by recruiting 35 elderly participants. We performed prototype-, laboratory-, and home-based experiments. Through these experiments, we evaluated current datasets, user experience, and feasibility for home use. We report on and discuss the older adults’ attitudes toward the robot and the number of turns during dialogues. We also classify the types of utterances and identify user needs. Herein, we outline the findings of this study, outlining the system’s essential characteristics to experiment toward daily cognitive training and explain further feature requests.

scholarly journals Effects of Physical Activity on Brain Energy Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Diseases

Diseases ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Khadijeh Ebrahimi ◽  
Morteza Jourkesh ◽  
Saeed Sadigh-Eteghad ◽  
Stephen R Stannard ◽  
Conrad P. Earnest ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Protective Effect ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Preventive Interventions ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Brain Energy

The prevalence of dementia has substantially increased worldwide. Currently, there is no cure for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and care for affected patients is financially and psychologically costly. Of late, more attention has been given to preventive interventions—in particular, physical activity/exercise. In this review, examine the risk factors associated with AD and the effects physical activity may play in the prevention of the degenerative process of this disease, loss of memory and cognitive performance in the elderly. To date, research has shown that physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, has a protective effect on cognitive function and memory in the elderly and Alzheimer’s patients. In comparison with aerobic exercise, several strength training studies have also shown positive effects, and the rare studies that compare the two different modalities show no difference.

scholarly journals Age-Related Diseases and Driving Safety

Geriatrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Michael Falkenstein ◽  
Melanie Karthaus ◽  
Ute Brüne-Cohrs
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Disorder ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Elderly Drivers ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Independent Life ◽  
Driving Fitness ◽  
The Impact

Due to demographic changes, the number of older drivers is steadily increasing. Mobility is highly relevant for leading an independent life in the elderly. It largely depends on car driving, which is a complex task requiring a multitude of cognitive and motor skills vulnerable to age- related functional deterioration. The almost inevitable effects of senescence may be potentiated by age-related diseases, such as stroke or diabetes mellitus. Respective pharmacological treatment may cause side effects, additionally affecting driving safety. The present article reviews the impact of age-related diseases and drug treatment of these conditions on driving fitness in elderly drivers. In essence, we focus on diseases of the visual and auditory systems, diseases of the central nervous system (i.e., stroke, depression, dementia and mild cognitive disorder, and Parkinson’s disease), sleep disorders, as well as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders, and frailty. We will outline the role of functional tests and the assessment of driving behavior (by a driving simulator or in real traffic), as well as the clinical interview including questions about frequency of (near) accidents, etc. in the evaluation of driving fitness of the elderly. We also address the impact of polypharmacy on driving fitness and end up with recommendations for physicians caring for older patients.

scholarly journals Traffic Sign Recognition Evaluation for Senior Adults Using EEG Signals

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4607
Author(s):  
Dong-Woo Koh ◽  
Jin-Kook Kwon ◽  
Sang-Goog Lee
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Eeg Signals ◽  
Traffic Sign ◽  
Wrong Answer ◽  
Unsupervised Machine Learning ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Elderly Drivers

Elderly people are not likely to recognize road signs due to low cognitive ability and presbyopia. In our study, three shapes of traffic symbols (circles, squares, and triangles) which are most commonly used in road driving were used to evaluate the elderly drivers’ recognition. When traffic signs are randomly shown in HUD (head-up display), subjects compare them with the symbol displayed outside of the vehicle. In this test, we conducted a Go/Nogo test and determined the differences in ERP (event-related potential) data between correct and incorrect answers of EEG signals. As a result, the wrong answer rate for the elderly was 1.5 times higher than for the youths. All generation groups had a delay of 20–30 ms of P300 with incorrect answers. In order to achieve clearer differentiation, ERP data were modeled with unsupervised machine learning and supervised deep learning. The young group’s correct/incorrect data were classified well using unsupervised machine learning with no pre-processing, but the elderly group’s data were not. On the other hand, the elderly group’s data were classified with a high accuracy of 75% using supervised deep learning with simple signal processing. Our results can be used as a basis for the implementation of a personalized safe driving system for the elderly.

Finding a Smart Technical System for Mitigating the Elderly's Driving Accidents

2016 ◽  
pp. 22-45
Author(s):  
Sebin Jung
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Safe Driving ◽  
Elderly Drivers ◽  
Vehicle Systems ◽  
Aging Health ◽  
Current Systems ◽  
New System

Driving-related injuries associated with elderly drivers are on the rise although the overall rate of driving-related injuries has decreased. To determine the causes of this trend, this chapter introduces the characteristics of the elderly's aging health conditions and driving behaviours, and also explains existing vehicle systems that use different safety technologies to promote safe driving. This chapter will show that for the most part, current systems are not created by people with driving difficulties caused by health problems, which in turn often afflict the elderly. Moreover, based on an elderly focus group with declining body conditions, this chapter uses an interview to discover the problems they encounter while driving and demonstrates how new system concepts can be developed for the elderly. Finally, this chapter proposes adequate system concepts for the elderly as a solution that would improve driving safety and provide a more enjoyable driving environment for this population.

Driver Behavior at a Freeway Merge to Mixed Traffic of Conventional and Connected Autonomous Vehicles

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (11) ◽  
pp. 867-874
Author(s):  
Sneha Chityala ◽  
John O. Sobanjo ◽  
Eren Erman Ozguven ◽  
Thobias Sando ◽  
Richard Twumasi-Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Market Penetration ◽  
Mixed Traffic ◽  
Traffic Operations ◽  
Freeway Traffic ◽  
Elderly Drivers ◽  
Young Drivers ◽  
The Subject

Freeway merge ramps serve as one of the most challenging areas in traffic operations. This paper primarily focuses on creating a mixed traffic of conventional and connected/autonomous vehicles (CAVs) on freeways, and capturing driver behaviors both for the merging vehicle on the ramp and the freeway vehicles. The mixed distribution of vehicle headways of the freeway vehicles, developed based on various market penetration rates of the CAVs, was used to randomly generate vehicles through Monte Carlo simulation, and assigned as headways in a driving simulator. Based on perception, young drivers on the merge ramp were observed to choose critical headway gaps of 2.9 s, 1.8 s, and 1.7 s for freeway traffic of 0%, 50%, 75% penetration rates, respectively. For similar CAV penetration rates, the critical gaps observed for elderly drivers were 3.5 s, 2.0 s, and 1.9 s, respectively. When actually driving in the simulator, for the scenarios of 0% CAVs and 50% CAVs on the freeway, the values of average headway gaps accepted by young drivers were estimated as 2.36 s and 1.53 s, respectively. For the elderly drivers driving the simulator, the average headway gap values accepted were estimated as 2.72 s and 1.55 s, respectively, in the 0% and 50% penetration rates on the freeway traffic. Analyses of the speed profiles of the vehicles showed the effects of the acceleration/deceleration of merging vehicles, for both young and older drivers, on the freeway vehicles, including a few cases of collision. Overall, it was observed that the subject drivers accepted shorter headway gaps for increased CAV penetration levels.

scholarly journals Driving-Related Adverse Events in the Elderly Men: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 744-750
Author(s):  
Jae Sung Kim ◽  
Jong Bin Bae ◽  
Kyuhee Han ◽  
Jong Woo Hong ◽  
Ji Hyun Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Word List ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Driving Cessation ◽  
Risky Driving ◽  
Safe Driving

Objective This study estimated the incidence of driving-related adverse events and examined the association of cognitive function with the risk of future driving-related adverse events in the elderly Korean male population.Methods We analyzed 1,172 male drivers aged 60 years or older in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD). Using the data from Korean National Police Agency, we classified the participants into three groups: safe driving (drove for 2 years after baseline without a traffic accident or repeated violations), driving cessation (stopped driving), and risky driving (one or more traffic accidents or repeated violations). We estimated the incidences of driving cessation and risky driving, and examined the effect of cognitive function on their risks.Results The incidence of driving cessation and risky driving in the Korean male drivers aged 60 years or older was 19.3 and 69.9 per 1,000 person-years respectively and increased in the late 80s. Drivers with better baseline Word List Memory Test scores showed less risky driving (OR=0.94, p=0.039).Conclusion Driving-related adverse events increased in late 80s, and better memory function was protective against these events.

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