Safe mobility is essential to healthy aging. Recognizing that lifestyle changes, along with innovative technologies and medical advancements, will have a significant impact on the driving experiences of the baby boomer generation, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has launched a multi-year research program to more fully understand the driving patterns and trends of older drivers in the United States. This multi-year prospective cohort study is being conducted at 5 sites throughout the country, with 3,000 participants, tracking 5+ years of driving behaviors and medical conditions. The multidisciplinary team assembled to investigate this issue is led by experienced researchers from Columbia University, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Urban Institute. The LongROAD (Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers) Study is designed to generate the largest and most comprehensive data base about senior drivers in existence and will support in-depth studies of senior driving and mobility to better understand risks and develop effective countermeasures. Specific emphasis is being placed on issues related to medications, medical conditions, driving patterns, driving exposure, self-regulation, and crash risk, along with mobility options for older Americans who no longer drive. The aim of this study was to synthesize published qualitative studies to identify older adults’ preferences for communication about driving with healthcare providers. Healthcare providers play a key role in addressing driving safety and driving retirement with older adults, but conversations about driving can be difficult. Guides exist for family members and providers, but to date less is known about the types of communication and messages older drivers want from their healthcare providers. Qualitative metasynthesis of studies published on or before October 10, 2014, in databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science) and grey literature. 22 published studies representing 518 older adult drivers met the following inclusion criteria: (1) the study was about driving; (2) the study involved older drivers; (3) the study was qualitative (rather than quantitative or mixed methods); and (4) the study contained information on older drivers’ perspectives about communication with healthcare providers. We identified five major themes regarding older adults’ communication preferences: (1) driving discussions are emotionally charged; (2) context matters; (3) providers are trusted and viewed as authority figures; (4) communication should occur over a period of time rather than suddenly; and (5) older adults desire agency in the decision to stop driving. Various stakeholders involved in older driver safety should consider older drivers’ perspectives regarding discussions about driving. Healthcare providers can respect and empower older drivers–and support their family members–through tactful communication about driving safety and mobility transitions during the life course. (Author/publisher) For more information on the LongROAD Study, see http://www.longroadstudy.org/
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