Chippendale Tracy, Sangrar Ruheena, Rotenberg Shlomit, Curl Angela, Baig Natisha, Suzuki Lisa
Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Gerontologist. 2025 Apr 9;65(5). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaf067.
Safe community mobility is critical to support aging-in-place. For older adults living in low-and moderate-income urban settings, driving may not be an option due to costs associated with car ownership or a lack of driving history. Some older adults retire from driving due to changes in their health. Public transportation is critical to support community engagement. However, little is known about transportation challenges in naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC). Therefore, the purpose of this ecological theory-informed study was to explore supports and limitations regarding safe public bus use in NORCs.
A multiple qualitative case study design was used with purposive sampling of representative cases consisting of 4 bus routes in NORC neighborhoods. Field observations and in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted. Participants were: (a) age 60 and older, (b) English speaking, (c) ride the bus on average 2 or more times per month, (d) ambulatory with or without a walking aid, and (e) residents of 1 of the 4 NORC neighborhoods. A descriptive, thematic approach was used for data coding and analyses, and data were organized according to the framework method.
Seventeen NORC residents were interviewed, and 45 hr of field observations were conducted. Results revealed 4 major themes: impact on other people's behavior, obstructed passageways, older riders impact on their own safety, and space and time orientation. Several subthemes were also uncovered.
Results suggest education and policy changes are needed to increase the safety of older adults who use public buses.
安全的社区出行对于支持就地养老至关重要。对于生活在中低收入城市环境中的老年人来说，由于汽车拥有成本或缺乏驾驶经历，开车可能不是一个可行的选择。一些老年人因健康状况变化而不再开车。公共交通对于支持社区参与至关重要。然而，对于自然形成的退休社区（NORC）的交通挑战却知之甚少。因此，这项以生态理论为指导的研究旨在探讨NORC中安全乘坐公共巴士的支持因素和限制因素。
采用多案例定性研究设计，对NORC社区的4条公交线路进行有目的抽样，选取具有代表性的案例。进行了实地观察和深入的半结构化访谈。参与者包括：（a）60岁及以上；（b）说英语；（c）平均每月乘坐巴士2次或更多次；（d）无论是否使用助行器都能行走；（e）是4个NORC社区之一的居民。采用描述性主题方法进行数据编码和分析，并根据框架法对数据进行整理。
对17名NORC居民进行了访谈，并进行了45小时的实地观察。结果揭示了4个主要主题：对他人行为的影响、通道受阻、老年乘客对自身安全的影响以及空间和时间定向。还发现了几个子主题。
结果表明，需要进行教育和政策变革，以提高乘坐公共巴士的老年人的安全性。
