Sunshine Coast Occupational Therapy Services
Regain Confidence. Drive Safely. Stay Independent.
At Everything OT, we provide professional Occupational Therapy Driving Assessments for individuals across the Sunshine Coast who are:
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Recovering from injury, medical event, or illness
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Living with age-related changes or medical conditions
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Referred by a doctor or specialist for a fitness-to-drive evaluation
Serving the Sunshine Coast
We’re proud to support individuals and families across the Sunshine Coast, including:
Maroochydore, Caloundra, Buderim, Nambour, Noosa
and surrounding suburbs
We offer mobile OT services, with flexible appointment options and fast response times.
What is involved in an Occupational Therapy Driving Assessment?
The assessment has two parts: an off-road assessment and an on-road assessment. We can conduct these same day, or on two different days depending on the circumstances. All of our services are mobile, so we come to you for both assessments.
Off-road Assessment:
Allow around 90 minutes for the off-road assessment which includes an initial interview and clinical assessment, including:
- Medical history
- Driving history and ongoing driving goals
- Vision
- Physical ability including strength, range of motion and coordination
- Cognitive ability including decision making and judgement
- General practical road law knowledge
On-road Assessment
- In the car, you will be driving with a driving instructor in the passenger seat and qualified driver-trained OT in the left rear passenger seat
- All on-road assessments are conducted in the driving instructor’s car, which has dual controls.
- Understandably, completing an on-road driving assessment can be a stressful experience, so we allow time for you to become familiar with the new vehicle at the beginning of the assessment.
After the Assessment
Feedback
Immediately after the assessment, you will be provided with feedback on the impact of your medical condition on your ability to drive a vehicle safely.
Reporting
A report detailing the driving assessment outcome and recommendations is sent to the referrer, GP (if not the referring Doctor) and TMR.
What happens next?
After the OT has submitted your report, you will be required to make an appointment with your GP to discuss the outcome and recommendations from the driving assessment.
Possible outcomes of an OT driving assessment
- Pass with unrestricted license
- Pass with certain conditions, such as only driving an automatic vehicle or a certain distance from home
- Driving lessons may be recommended, to learn compensatory strategies, regain confidence or learn new driving skills with specialised equipment such as a spinner knob.
- Cancellation (suspension) of license while awaiting further recovery and reassessment.
- Unfit to drive, license cancellation
Why be assessed by a driver-trained occupational therapist?
Research has shown that the best way to assess a person’s capacity to drive is to assess them actually driving. Driver-Trained Occupational Therapists are the only health professionals qualified to conduct a practical (on road) driving assessment of how a person’s medical condition impacts their ability to drive. OT driving assessors have completed specialised post-graduate training to work in this area. Our goal is to keep people driving as long as it is safe to do
How do I prepare for an OT Driving Assessment?
- A referral is required from a medical practitioner stating you are medically fit to undertake a driving assessment. We are unable to conduct the driving assessment without your medical history and current medications.
- You must hold a current driver’s licence (or learner’s)
- Have glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids ready if required
- We sometimes require an eyesight report from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, depending on your medical history. We will let you know if this is required when we receive your referral.
How do I prepare for an OT Driving Assessment?
- A referral is required from a medical practitioner stating you are medically fit to undertake a driving assessment. We are unable to conduct the driving assessment without your medical history and current medications.
- You must hold a current driver’s licence (or learner’s)
- Have glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids ready if required
- We sometimes require an eyesight report from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, depending on your medical history. We will let you know if this is required when we receive your referral.
Ongoing driving assessments
As we age, and because some medical conditions are progressive (ie, they tend to impact people differently over time), it is not uncommon to require ongoing monitoring of driving skills and reassessment – often every 6 to 12 months depending on the condition.
Costs
Occupational Therapy Driving Assessments can be costly due to the specialised training, resources and reporting required. Please contact us for a quote and to discuss your needs.
Do you need more information?
Contact our experienced therapists to answer all of your questions.
Why Choose Everything OT?
Local, Sunshine Coast-based team
Fully qualified OT & accredited driving instructor
Fast, friendly communication with GPs and specialists
Clear next steps for licensing outcomes (modifications, rehab, or retirement)
Get a FREE quote
Service Area
Sunshine Coast and surrounds