This article uses data from focus groups to examine how older nonmetropolitan residents of upstate New York construct their transportation arrangements during different stages of the life course. The article also analyzes the effectiveness of different modes of transportation in facilitating life-maintenance and higher order needs of older individuals. Almost universally, youngold (age 65 to 74) rural residents drive themselves to most of their activities; a small proportion also use public buses to fill some of their transportation needs. Old-old (age 75 and older) individuals, by necessity, rely on a wider range of transportation options because of driving cessation among some in this group. The focus groups allowed older participants to speak for themselves regarding what they liked and disliked about different transportation options, thus providing findings that policy makers and transportation planners might use for designing transportation systems that meet the needs of older rural and small-town residents.As the United States becomes an increasingly older society, the safety and mobility of older persons, the primary and alternative modes of transportation used by and available to them, and the effectiveness of different modes of transportation in helping older persons maintain their independence will become increasingly important. Between 1990 and 2030, the population aged 65 and older is projected to more than double in size (Siegel, 1993). Large and increasing numbers and proportions of older people will result in increasing numbers and proportions of older drivers. Moreover, with the increasing numbers and proportions of oldest-old (aged 85 and older), older Downloaded from individuals are more likely to reach a point where the cessation of driving and a search for alternative means of transportation are necessary. With continuing rapid increases in the numbers and proportions of older people, it behooves researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to plan for the transportation needs of current and future older cohorts.Effective transportation arrangements contribute to older persons' social integration by facilitating social interaction, community participation, and access to goods and services (Glasgow, 1998). Especially among older rural residents, activities are often too distant to reach by walking, and older rural people risk social isolation if they do not have effective transportation arrangements. The general analytical framework guiding this research is that rural older persons construct their transportation arrangements in a variety of ways depending on their personal characteristics, life stage, the nature of their social networks, and the attributes of their communities.According to Rosenbloom (1988), rural older people make almost 90% of their trips in private vehicles, although not necessarily as the driver. This information is useful, but it does not tell us how and why older rural residents construct their transportation arrangements as they do. The present study analyzes qualitativ...
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has used the "distressed county" designation to identify counties with the most structurally disadvantaged economies. The ARC annually updates distressed status of counties with current unemployment and per capita market income data. This research evaluates the potential impact of incorporating the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) into the ARC distressed county designation. The distressed status accuracy results from the end of the 1980s and the magnitude and causes of distressed status transitions in the early 1990s indicate that using the SAIPE would alter the distressed designation but not to a radical degree. However, combining the SAIPE point estimate and the SAIPE upper bound estimate in the determination of distressed status would achieve the objective of using more current estimates of poverty while reducing the negative consequences of using an estimate of poverty with greater statistical variation than decennial census-derived estimates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.