License to Thrive in an Aging America: Addressing Transportation Barriers to Social Connectedness for Older Adults in North Carolina

Older adults are at risk of experiencing loneliness and social isolation. As the senior population of the United States continues to grow, ensuring older adults can travel for social purposes is increasingly important. North Carolina’s robust network of senior centers provide older adults with essential services and opportunities to form connections. However, transportation may serve as a barrier to accessing these facilities, especially for seniors who can no longer drive themselves. In response, this report examines how older adults travel to senior centers in North Carolina and how accessible senior centers are through driving and using transit. Key findings include that 10 percent of seniors do not live within a 25-minute drive of a senior center; that 39 percent of senior centers list providing their own transportation services on their websites; that 24 percent of senior centers are accessible by a fixed-route service that stops directly at the center; and that 60 percent of senior centers were scored as having “poor” or “fair” transit access. Additionally, senior center staff members were surveyed to learn more about ongoing challenges and how centers are working to address them. Key takeaways include that the most common modes to travel to senior centers involving driving; that senior center transportation services are vital for people who can no longer drive themselves; and that common barriers to participating in senior centers include stigma, unawareness, a lack of interest, social anxiety, living too far away from a center, and a lack of reliable transportation. Several strategies senior centers can take to address loneliness in communities are discussed based on feedback given by staff members. Last, this report provides recommendations to senior centers, transit agencies, and the state on how to address transportation-related barriers to senior center participation.