Daily Urban Trip Mobility and Perceptions of Mobility among O ...
Abstract
Perceptions of individual mobility for daily in-town trips may reveal more insight to life satisfaction of older adults than traditional measures of mobility, such as frequency of trips. Primary data were collected through three focus groups (n = 29) and survey questionnaires (n = 691) in the Denver (Colorado, USA) metropolitan area, and analyzed with descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses of significant categorical differences, and thematic highlights of qualitative open responses. Despite changes and declines in actual daily out-of-home mobility, individual perceptions and satisfaction with mobility remains quite high. Social networks are a possible source for transportation assistance for older adults, but this is not a desirable option, as there is a strong dislike in feeling dependent upon others. For older adults accustomed to independence in driving, volunteer driver programs appear to be a more attractive alternative.