Date Presented 4/19/2018
This study investigated the personal experiences of drivers aged 65 years and older and the impact of driving on their quality of life and daily occupations. Themes included “It’s Independence,” “Adds Joy to Your Life,” and “If We Didn’t Drive, We’d Have to Modify Our Living.”
Primary Author and Speaker: Megan Edwards Collins
Contributing Authors: Sarah Brown, Aslyn DeHart, Brittany Moretz, Courtney Rogers, Connor Price, Rebecca Obendorf
PURPOSE: By the year 2050, the population of older adults is expected to double, making up at least 20% of the U.S. population. The number of older adult drivers is expected to continue to increase in subsequent years, with one in every four licensed drivers in the U.S. being above age 65. Because of the decline in abilities associated with aging and other health-related problems, older adults eventually stop driving. Research is limited describing the values and beliefs older adults hold regarding their ability to drive and the ways those presumptions positively influence their perception of quality of life during the aging process. This study investigated the personal experiences of drivers aged 65 and older and the impact of driving on their quality of life, daily occupations, roles, and routines. Because of the inevitable increase in the older adult population, it is imperative for occupational therapy practitioners to be concerned with quality of life in older adults and the influence of driving on their ability to participate in everyday meaningful occupations.
METHOD: This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted by six occupational therapy students and one research advisor. Participants were recruited from local community centers in the Triad area of North Carolina. Thirteen people aged 65 years or older (range = 66–87) who were currently driving participated in the study. Data were collected through demographic questionnaires and semistructured, in-person interviews to investigate participants’ personal experiences and perceptions of driving. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed by the researchers. The interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive content analysis, allowing themes to emerge from the data. Triangulation also occurred as each researcher examined all interview transcripts.
RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data: “It’s Independence” (subthemes: mobility and flexibility), “Adds Joy to Your Life” (subthemes: occupational engagement/role fulfillment and social participation), and “If We Didn’t Drive, We’d Have to Modify Our Living” (subthemes: safety precautions and emotions/reactions). Overall findings show that driving had an impact on participants’ independence, their daily occupational engagement, and their overall quality of life. Even though participants commonly reported an awareness of how driving cessation could affect their occupational engagement and the likelihood that they would ultimately have to stop driving, most had not taken preparatory actions for this particular life event.
Emotional well-being was referred to throughout the study, with participants expressing how driving had been a blessing to them, increasing their independence and occupational engagement, and how they felt lucky to still be driving. In addition, participants expressed a wide range of emotions they would feel if they had to stop driving. Some felt it would be a huge life change, worrying about how they could have their transportation needs met without burdening family and friends, whereas others felt it would not be a big deal to stop driving.
CONCLUSION AND IMPACT STATEMENT: Driving enhances the independence, quality of life, role fulfillment, occupational engagement, and social participation of older adults. Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely equipped to help clients prepare for driving cessation by evaluating their clients holistically and addressing the psychosocial aspect of driving cessation. They can help clients prepare for and cope with driving cessation and find new and different ways to engage in meaningful occupations. Occupational therapy practitioners can thus play a role in helping maintain independence and quality of life in older adults who are currently driving and in preparing them for driving cessation.
References
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