Introduction
Mobility issues can undermine older adults’ quality of life. At age 70, driver’s license renewal policies in California change, and driving fatalities and insurance rates tend to rise. By age 85, many people discontinue driving. A 2001 study of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older found that 47% reported at least some difficulty walking. Older adults with difficulties walking and those who do not drive are less likely to receive regular health checkups, are less civically engaged, and are more socially isolated compared to those without these mobility limitations. Seniors miss being active members of the community, but the community also loses from the lack of involvement of its seniors. Ensuring that older adults have access to safe, reliable, affordable means of transportation will be central to Angelenos experiencing purposeful aging.
Conclusion
Consistent with past studies in the United States, surveyed Angelenos predominantly seem to rely on personal vehicles to get from place to place. However, sizeable portions of the older age groups walk, rely on others to drive them, or use public transportation, and transportation patterns appear to differ across racial/ethnic groups, especially among older community members. As previous researchers have suggested, specialized transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities do not seem to be the most common or viable replacement for driving. Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are another option to traditional taxis, even among the oldest respondents. Some people even reported (when selecting “other”) that they used delivery services like Amazon to get what they needed without leaving home.
These new services may help meet older adults’ material needs, but additional transportation research in Los Angeles would benefit from evaluating how often residents leave their homes (e.g., monitoring residents’ ability to meet social needs). Overall, most community members had positive views of their city/town’s transportation infrastructure, but there was room for improvement, especially regarding personal commuting infrastructure. Additionally, many older community members remain unaware of local programs such as paratransit and driver education courses designed to help meet their transportation needs. Age and racial/ethnic variations in responses about transportation infrastructure suggest diverse transportation needs across subsets of the Los Angeles community and highlight the importance of considering local community context when prioritizing new transportation investments.
Recommendations
Ensure that Regional Transportation Systems Reflect the Needs of Older Adults
Public transportation is a critical component of healthy, purposeful aging. Research indicates (Transit Center, 2017) that public transportation can reduce social isolation, make it easier for older adults to access health care, and is safer than other modes of transport. However, many older adults are unfamiliar with available transportation options and may need help learning how to use public transportation. While a variety of transportation options exist for older adults in Los Angeles County (i.e., Access Services, Dial-A-Ride, City Ride, City Door-to-Door Transportation Program, County New Freedom Program, etc.), coverage gaps remain based on geographic location and service levels. At the same time, emerging ride-sharing options tailored for older adults, such as GoGoGrandparent, are available.
Ensure that Older Adults Can Walk Safely in Their Communities
Along with public transportation, walkable communities are a critical component of healthy, purposeful aging. Older adults want to “age in place”; however, the aging process often reduces their ability to drive, making it harder to stay in their homes. A walkable community improves access to transit and vital services. However, fifty-six percent of adults 65 and older injured or killed while walking in California were crossing the street in a crosswalk at the time of the collisions, according to 2015 data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Furthermore, while many areas may have sidewalks, the condition of sidewalks or lack of age-friendly design features (i.e., curb ramps and raised crosswalks) often presents obstacles to older adults and people with disabilities.
Read and download the Purposeful Aging LA Age-Friendly Action Plan to learn more about recommendations to enhance age-friendliness for all older adults and multigenerational residents of the Los Angeles region.