The Meaning of Driving for Older Adults

PURPOSE: The population of older adults is increasing in the United States and by 2035 the number of adults over the age of 65 is projected to be 78 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). In 2016, 18 percent of all traffic fatalities were older adults, which resulted in 6,764 deaths (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2018). This demographic shift is unprecedented and aging naturally results in declines in physical and cognitive performance. A systematic literature review concluded that state relicensing policies for older adults do not consistently reduce safety concerns in driving, including violations, accidents, and fatalities; yet, community mobility programs led by occupational therapists can benefit older adults in the transition from driving to the use of other modes of transportation (Stav, 2014). Older adults, who cannot continue to safely drive and need to relinquish their licenses, face a variety of negative consequences. Driving cessation can represent a significant disruption to identity and is a "loss" worth mourning (Sanford et al., 2018). Older adults who recently stopped driving reported increased social isolation and depression, as well as decreased feelings of control and activity. There is an urgent need for additional research in this area to understand the meaning of driving to older adults given the demographic shift. The purpose of this investigation was to understand older adults' experiences and perception of the meaning of driving. The Model of Human Occupation served as the theoretical foundation for this investigation. DESIGN: This qualitative investigation used an empirical, phenomenological, psychological approach by conducting in-depth interviews with eleven older adults. All adults, over the age of 65 and currently driving, were recruited from a low-income residential facility in a suburban area in northern California. A convenience sample was obtained and the majority of participants were women. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted privately with each adult, transcribed verbatim and then a second interview was completed with each adult for member checking and confirmation of initial data. This two-stage interview strengthened data collection process. The research team coded all interviews individually before developing a code directory. An iterative process used to search for data saturation and consensus among team members was used to develop the final code directory. The codes were analyzed for th