Salt Lake County Senior Medical Transportation Survey

The objective of the Senior Medical Transportation Survey was to identify how people sixty years of age and older, living in the Salt Lake County area, were meeting their medical transportation needs. The three-month, non-thesis research project was conducted at ten University Health Network clinics. A total of 124 voluntary participants completed the self administered, standardized 6-item questionnaire. The mean age was 74 years old. Thirty three percent were male and 62 percent were female. Thirty-two valid zip codes were reported by participants. Five survey sites represented 82.2 percent of the return rate. The data suggests that people of the different gerontological categories of youngold (65-74), old-old (75-84) and oldest-old (85+) do access transportation differently as advancing age necessitates more dependency on others rather than on oneself. Data was of limited generalizability due to the limited sampling frame. Therefore, Chi Square homogeneity tests that showed a significant difference among variables may not be valid. Affordable and accessible transportation options that encourage independence and autonomy for the elderly will be important considerations for service providers in the decades ahead. The researcher sincerely hopes that the data generated by this project will be useful in its implications for further empirical study.