Using Community-Based Participatory Research Strategies in Age-Friendly Communities to Solve Mobility Challenges.

The number of older adults is steadily increasing in the United States and across the globe. Aging is linked to an increased risk of disability. Disabilities that limit one or more major life activities such as seeing, hearing, walking, and motor skills impact a person's ability to drive a car. Low utilization of alternative transportation by older adults and people with disabilities may put them at risk for social isolation. Social isolation is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes. While communities are challenged to create available, acceptable, accessible, adaptable and affordable mobility options, there are widely held, inaccurate biases around older adults' abilities to contribute to the development and improvement of alternative transportation options. Gerontological social workers are well-positioned to address this bias. This paper presents a case study of a large metropolitan county in the Midwest where community-based participatory research (CBPR) strategies were used to engage older residents to support the development of alternative transportation options supporting the tenets of environmental justice.

Social Cognitive Theory, Driving Cessation, and Alternative Transportation in Later Life.

Having viable alternative transportation options could help individuals stop driving when appropriate. This study employs the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to understand the barriers and facilitators of alternative transportation among a sample of adults aged 55 and older (N = 32). Using a daily transportation data collection app, MyAmble, the research team asked participants questions structured around environmental, individual, and behavioral factors as outlined in the SCT framework. Responses were analyzed using directed content analysis. Findings suggest a substantial reliance on motor vehicles and it was evident that many participants had never seriously considered what they would do if they could no longer drive. We posit that SCT principles may be applied to help older adults build self-efficacy to transition to driving cessation when needed.