| dc.description.abstract | By the year 2035, for the first time in US history, there will be more older adults in the US than individuals under the age of 18 (Vespa, 2018), and Tarrant County, Texas is the fastest growing community in the country (US Census Bureau, 2018), with older adults comprising a significant portion of that growth (United Way Tarrant County Community Assessment, 2015). Accompanying this, older adults are among the most at-risk individuals for acute and chronic health problems and are the highest utilizers of health care (Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, 2018). Syed, Gerber, and Sharp (2013) report the greatest barrier to better health for older adults in the US is transportation. Tarrant County, its residents, and its resources are widely dispersed, and Tarrant county’s second-largest city, Arlington, is the largest city in the US without a public bus system, which makes transportation and concern for quality of life simultaneously imperative and challenging for older adult residents of Tarrant County. Therefore, this thesis investigated the impact previous medical events had on transportation and quality of life for older adults in Tarrant County, Texas. Results suggest that for those experiencing transportation disadvantage, health status influences the types of trip planned for and completed, that transportation comes with multiple burdens, and quality of life is often complicated and compromised by the interplay between health and transportation. In conclusion, health, transportation, and quality of life are inextricably linked, and although relatively unexplored, an important means for improving health and quality of life for older adults is transportation. | |
