Occupational Therapists are health care professionals who work with people of all ages who may have limitations in home, school, work and community activities due to medical conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns and orthopedic injuries.
What you can expect:
An occupational therapist will perform a thorough evaluation assessing limitations in the areas of cognition, arm and hand function, perception and performance of daily activities. Your therapist will work with you and your family help you toward your functional goals.
Specialized services:
- Custom splinting
- Driving assessments
- Instruction in adaptive driving devices
- Activities of daily living training
- Visual perceptual training
- Home evaluations
Behind the Wheel Driving Assessment
St. Vincent Healthcare Outpatient Rehabilitation offers a program to evaluate the safety of drivers. Our "Behind the Wheel" program provides objective data regarding driving skills. To participate in the program you will need:
- A valid driver's license or learner's permit. We can assist with obtaining a Medical Assessment and Rehabilitation Driving Permit from the Montana Department of Motor Vehicles.
- A prescription for a driver's evaluation and neuropsychology evaluation from a licensed physician, physician's assistant, or family nurse practitioner.
What should I expect during the evaluation?
The driving evaluation contains three types of testing:
- Neuropsychology evaluation - This screening determines cognitive abilities as they relate to safe driving, such as speed of mental processing, reaction times, and visual perception testing. (Not required for all driving evaluations; per doctors discretion)
- In-clinic testing with Occupational Therapy - This testing in our clinic assesses skills such as vision, reaction times, range of motion and strength in the upper and lower body and other skills necessary for driving.
- In-car evaluation - Testing driving skills on the road in the rehabilitation car. Our car has the following adaptive equipment available: left foot accelerator, hand controls, and additional adaptive mirrors. Driver training/practice also available.
Call 238-6400 for more information or to set up an appointment.