Viewing entries tagged with 'decision-making'
Participants required: When to stop driving?
When to stop driving?
You can participate in this research. The HOPE Foundation for Research on Ageing supports this current research lead by HOPE Scholar, Kushalata Baral.
This research aims to build a comprehensive national understanding of driving cessation among people with cognitive impairment; we are seeking your support to advance our current research. “When to stop driving? An exploration into driving cessation decision-making for people with cognitive impairment" is a research study conducted at the University of Waikato, supported by Dementia New Zealand and Dementia Waikato.
The first phase was completed in 2024 and involved six focus groups across the Waikato region with family members and health professionals. Key themes emerged around: including families in decision-making; managing complex risk; systemic support gaps; the need to normalise the transition; and the critical importance of accessible transport alternatives.
These insights directly inform the current, nationwide phase: a web-based survey aiming to capture the perspectives of over 500 New Zealanders who have supported someone with memory loss around the decision to stop driving. The goal is to translate lived experience into evidence that can advocate for clearer guidelines, better support systems and dignified transitions.
We warmly invite all affiliate organisations to promote this survey through their newsletters, social media, and other relevant channels to ensure we gather a truly representative and powerful community voice.
To the participants:
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated family members who shared their deep, personal insights during our initial focus groups. Your contributions provided the essential foundation for this work; they help us connect the rich details from our conversations on driving cessation decision-making with the broader patterns we hope to see across Aotearoa. By sharing your voice again, you help ensure the results truly reflect the experiences of families and carers.
Building on what we learned from you, we are now launching the next vital phase: a nationwide online survey. This allows us to amplify your powerful stories into broader national evidence. Your continued participation is invaluable, and the survey will remain open until 30 April 2026.
This research has ethical committee approval from the University of Waikato. Reference number: HREC(Health)2023#44, University of Waikato.