Daily Travel and Wellbeing among the Elderly

Abstract

The purpose of this Special Issue is to introduce and demonstrate the importance of daily travel in elderly people's lives. In doing so, we wish to present recent advances made in this emerging field. Our overall goal is to provide a broad understanding of the links between psychological wellbeing and travel, the importance of daily travel, and the different evaluations and measures used to assess the experience of daily travel and the quality of life of the elderly.There are several different reasons for focusing on daily travel among the elderly: this population is growing; older people have similar needs to younger people, but they also have different needs when it comes to travel and activity participation; they are more active than previous generations, even those in older age brackets; and society has other expectations of the elderly today than previously in terms of, for example, their capacity to work and take care of their own needs in very old age as well. In this Special Issue, it is argued that developing a transport system that facilitates the elderly's travel needs is not only advantageous for the elderly but also for others, i.e., more or less vulnerable groups in society. As new evidence from empirical research emerges, the nature of the relationship between daily travel and the elderly's wellbeing becomes clearer. However, there is much still to learn, and the breadth of knowledge being introduced and discussed in this Special Issue is a step in that direction. Understanding the relationship between daily travel and wellbeing among the elderly will provide insights into ways of improving existing transport services and policies. This Special Issue consists of seven different papers covering different angles of daily travel among the elderly.It is inevitable that the elderly, at some point and for various reasons, will need to give up driving. For many elderly people, cars are an ideal mode of transport as they are accessible, flexible, fulfill psychosocial needs, and can be used purely for pleasure without any specific goal or destination in mind. Musselwhite and Scott [1] focus on how giving up driving affects older people in terms of their health and wellbeing. In interviews with the elderly, the authors address the barriers to and enablers of life without a car. The data are analyzed and categorized according to Bourdieu's theory of different capitals, which are defined as resources for health and wellbeing. In doing so, this paper offers a conceptual framework built on capitals that can be used to understand how to support people when they give up driving.In their paper on modal choice, Jane Ryan [2] treats choice as an element of wellbeing. Ryan states that modal choice is important for wellbeing in terms of facilitating the fulfilment of travel needs and activity participation, with a lack thereof potentially having the opposite effect. Based on this assumption, Ryan argues that it is important to analyze the process of choice and to distinguish between actual choice and limited or no choi...

Transit-oriented development for older people: Does using multiple public transport options improve their physical and mental health?

“…Public transport use can also influence mental health and wellbeing among older people (Ettema et al, 2010;Friman et al, 2018;Friman & Olsson, 2020;McCarthy & Habib, 2018;Mokhtarian, 2019). First, public transport use can link to mental health by directly affecting older people's moods and feelings during travel.…”

Adapting Transportation Planning e-Tools to Older Adults’ Needs: Scoping Review

“…These difficulties and barriers affect older adults’ ability to move around safely and independently and prevent them from maintaining social life as actively as they would like, which is often considered essential to maintaining social connectedness, independence, and a sense of well-being [ 8 , 9 ]. Thus, there is a need to provide accessible and affordable transportation options and support older adults in transportation planning and selecting the means of transport that best fit their needs and preferences [ 10 ].…”

Tourism experiences reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in the Chinese older adult: a prospective cohort study

“…Recognition of the benefit of tourism on well-being elevates the demand of older adults for tourism when they tend to have more free time ( 34 ). Compared with the younger people, the old people are more actively involved in travel ( 35 ). Studies have suggested that active participation in tourism promotes the health condition and longevity of the older adult ( 36 ).…”