“Physicians usually use a cognitive assessment, with pen and paper usually, to determine whether a driver is fit to drive. But these assessments are very limited,” said Dr. Sayeh Bayat, an assistant professor in both the University of Calgary’s department of biomedical engineering and geomatics engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering. Bayat recently received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association and Brain Canada, where her team will work alongside researchers at Sunnybrook Hospital and Baycrest Health Services in Toronto, to develop a mobile tech solution for aiding decision-making about driving for people with dementia. They’re recruiting a total of 60 drivers to test the technology in Calgary and Toronto. It will combine novel technologies like GPS and video with machine learning to detect subtle changes in driving behaviour. The study is expected to begin in June, monitoring drivers for about eight weeks. Bayat suggests the devices could eventually be permanently installed for drivers looking to monitor the progression of their illness.
