Improving the Mobility of Transportation Disadvantaged Older Adults

The research identified barriers and opportunities to improve Hispanic/Latino older adult access to community-based transportation and health resources. It was conducted with the existing Healthy Buddy model, which pairs older adults with college students who are trained to help them identify relevant transportation and health resources, while accommodating the unique needs of this transportation-disadvantaged population. The research team reevaluated the potential effectiveness of a Spanish-language accessible Healthy Buddy program model for increasing the self-efficacy and quality of life among Hispanic/Latino older adults. The team recruited bilingual (English-Spanish-speaking) students from multidisciplinary backgrounds. Older adult participants were invited to participate in pre- and post-surveys, including a qualitative interview, to allow the team to further evaluate the success of the program among Hispanic/Latino participants and to determine the replicability of the project in other communities with a significant population of transportation disadvantaged Hispanic/Latino older adults.

Inclusion criteria

• Older adults age 65+
• Those who no longer drive
• Resident of Texas
• Those who manage at least one health condition (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.)
• Spanish is primary language

Exclusion criteria

• Those who do not have a capacity to answer the pre-screening questions due to their cognitive and physical limitations
• Hispanic individuals who can speak fluent English will be excluded because they may have a better understanding of existing resources and information written and serviced in English in the community.