Abstract
Transportation disadvantage may have important implications for the health, well-being, and quality of life of older adults. This study used the 2015 National Health Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative study of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and over (N = 7,498), to generate national estimates of transportation modalities and transportation disadvantage among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. An estimated 10.8 million community-dwelling older adults in the United States rarely or never drive. Among nondrivers, 25% were classified as transportation disadvantaged, representing 2.3 million individuals. Individuals with more chronic medical conditions and those reliant on assistive devices were more likely to report having a transportation disadvantage (p <.05). Being married resulted in a 50% decreased odds of having a transportation disadvantage (p <.01). Some individuals may be at higher risk for transportation-related barriers to engaging in valued activities and accessing care, calling for tailored interventions such as ride-share services combined with care coordination strategies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 935-943 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Gerontology |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Sep 2020 |
Keywords
- access to care
- care coordination
- service utilization
- transportation