A series of focus groups was conducted to obtain first-hand accounts from seniors and lay caregivers about their experiences, concerns, and hopes. The project was a partnership effort among a group of national organizations and a variety of community and grassroots organizations that embraced the project and drew on local networks to recruit participants for the focus groups. The results are presented in the passionate voices of the participants themselves. At the conclusion of the focus groups, participants completed a written survey including a series of items asking about priority transportation actions that they believed would most benefit seniors. The choices were recommendations developed by transportation, aging, and health care authorities and practitioners who attended community forums. The actions fell within four areas: automobile and highway, driver assessment, pedestrian safety, and alternative transportation. After recording preferences on the survey instrument, participants were asked to vote during a postsurvey discussion. Although there was some variation in responses across the three target groups (transportation-rich seniors, transportation-deprived seniors, and concerned family and friends), surprising consistency emerged across groups and across states. Overall results are presented in this paper. One of the key findings related to what seniors and caregivers said that they need and want in transportation--the five A's of transportation: availability; accessibility; acceptability; affordability; and adaptability.
Abstract