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For Immediate Release For Further Information: Speed-of-Processing Training May Cut Car Crashes Involving Elderly, Orlando, FL - According to a study released at the American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting today, special training that enhances visual information processing ability could help prevent automobile accidents involving older drivers. In older adults, age-related declines in visual information processing are often a key contributor to automobile accidents - a leading cause of injury-related deaths among those 65 and older. In the study, sponsored by the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, researchers at the VA Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, followed 45 veterans, ages 60 to 80, whose driving was impaired. The researchers divided the drivers into two groups. A control group got 10 sessions of training on how to navigate the Internet. The other group got 10 sessions of speed-of-processing (SOP) training. Designed to improve visual information processing, the computerized instruction program gives users increasingly challenging visual attention tasks to complete. Those who got SOP training, the researchers found, significantly improved their visual information processing ability. They had significantly faster times on tests that required them to identify a particular object amid different kinds of visual distractions on a computer screen. "Because older drivers with impairments in visual attention experience more motor vehicle crashes, efforts to improve SOP may result in lower crash rates among these individuals," said lead author, Richard Sims, MD, associate professor of medicine and chief of the Geriatrics Section at the VA Medical Center. "If the SOP protocol is shown to be effective in larger studies, the rehabilitation of older drivers with visual attention impairments may become quite feasible." Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (http://www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,700 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies and practices in geriatric medicine.
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