Young onset dementia and driving cessation: a scoping review of lived experiences

Abstract

Background: Driving cessation is one of the most challenging life transitions, associated with multiple negative consequences for individuals living with late-onset dementia. This paper extends the literature as to date there is no published review that details the experiences of people living with young onset dementia (“YOD”). Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using the scoping review methodology. Results: Ten studies were included for full text review of 1634 initially identified through database searching. The results of the included articles indicated areas of concern for people living with YOD and their family members including, loss of independence; role change; threat to self-identify; feelings of isolation, grief; acceptance; predictors of driving cessation. Conclusion: There is a lack of robust evidence related to driving cessation and the experiences of people living with YOD. No published paper reported psychosocial interventions specifically targeted at supporting persons with YOD through driving cessation.