Perceptions of older people on their performance in the use of public transportation in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Justification: community mobility is essential for daily living.  The use of transportation is an instrumental activity of daily living that facilitates community mobility.  In the elderly this activity may be conditioned by features related to the aging process, the activity itself, and the environment in which it is carried out.  The importance of learning about the characteristics of this occupation in Chilean older people emerges as well as implications for occupational therapy as a promoter of social participation and autonomy in old age. Objective: to explore performance characteristics of a group of older people in the use of public transportation system in the city of Santiago. Methods: Ten interviews were conducted to older adults. Interviews were later interpretively analyzed from a hermeneutic approach. Results: Five main themes emerged from the speeches of the participants, "function of the use of public transportation", "preparatory adaptations for better performance," "environmental influence", "bus or subway? Reasons for this choice" and "meaning of the use of transport: autonomy versus exclusion." Conclusions: In the group of participants the use of transport is interfered by the physical environment, and facilitated by the social environment, and adaptive strategies are deployed. The meaning of the activity relates to the maintenance of autonomy and identity. The transport system in Santiago may not fit the needs of older people and may be perceived as an element of social exclusion in the elderly.