Many of the limitations experienced by community-dwelling older women are related to mobility within their communities. This qualitative study explored community mobility from the perspective of older, community-dwelling women in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 23 older women (mean age 75.9 years) identified through an existing database. In addition to travels to conduct instrumental activities of daily living and participate in social and recreational activities, the women in the study described trips to fulfil social obligations (e.g., attending funerals, visiting sich friends) and emphasized the importance of these trips. The women's travels through the city were influenced by their perception of risk and the strategies they employed to minimize or avoid risk during the day, in the evening, and during bad weather. Autonomous community mobility provided the women with a sense of independence and control. The findings have potential implications for health care providers and community programmers who work to maintain older women in the community. (A)
Samenvatting