“Facilitating discretionary mobility amongst seniors in rural areas”Prof. Graham Parkhurst, Dr Charles Musselwhite, Ian Shergold. Centre for Transport & Society, UWE, Bristol

Health, Wellbeing Quality of Life and Outdoor Spaces Seminar, Monday 20th June 2011

Agenda

1. Our focus on older people in rural areas

2. Discretionary mobility & the importance of ‘getting out’

3. The role of walking

4. Some constraints & barriers

5. Consequences

6. Conclusions

7. Q&A

Ageing - globally

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division). 2009. World Population Ageing. United Nations. New York

Commission for Rural communities: State of the Countryside 2010.

(Source: ONS mid-2008 population estimates MSOA)

Ageing communities in rural England

Older people and their community

• Happiness, well-being, life-satisfaction

• Individual and community benefit from engagement

• Creation of ‘Social Capital’

• Benefits for Rural communities

A model of rural sustainability

Sustainable Rural Communities

Community Connectivity

Social Capital

Community Activity

Mobility Capital

‘Grey and Pleasant Land?’ research locations

Discretionary mobility

• Journeys to get out and about, to see life and to see nature?

• Journeys to be involved in community activities?

• Journeys for cultural and leisure purposes?

• Visits to family and friends?

Discretionary mobility

• Journeys to get out and about, Journeys to get out and about, to see life and to see nature?to see life and to see nature?

• Journeys to be involved in community activities?

• Journeys for cultural and leisure purposes?

• Visits to family and friends?

Is it important to ‘get out and about’, to see life and to see nature

• “It certainly is absolutely vital for my wife and I”. (Male late 70s)

• “Yes I mean there’s no point in living in the country if you don’t enjoy it...” (Male 60s)

• “….it is the first time when you are an older person that you have got time to go and see these places”. (Male late 60s)

• “I worked for forty odd years, you want to use the next few years for pleasure don’t you”. (Male 60s)

• “….I have a passion for surfing….because that is important to my wellbeing…. If I am down and I go surfing then the world is a lovely place again”. (Female 70s)

• “….I mean what's the point of coming to Cornwall unless you can see the sea? I used to swim a lot and I've been a diver…. so the sea is in my blood”. (Male 70s)

for example….the sea

• “I go to Aberystwyth, well at least once a week…. it’s just to go by the sea or somewhere like that”. (Female 70s)

“Belonging” in a community”

When did you last….?

* Walk for 15 minutes or more for leisure, health or just to get somewhere

36%

4%

79%

90%

% in last year

Multi-modality?

Walking

• “I walk every day. I walk into town….which isn’t far, but I make sure I do it everyday”. (Female 80s)

• “….we always walk to the village, we very rarely drive”. (Female 60s)

• “Walking and cycling - absolutely vital”. (Male late 60s)

• “I don’t want to be classed as one of the oldies, you know I feel I like to walk as long as I can”. (Female 70s)

….not forgetting Mobility Scooters

• “….instead of walking I used my scooter. So I was able to weave in and out of walkers and go at their pace and have a chat, and then go on to somebody else, go to their pace, have a chat, and I thoroughly enjoyed it”. (Male late 70s)

• “….it is very good for him, it gets him out and about. He will go out for an hour every now and again just to get a bit of fresh air and exercise….”. (Female late 60s)

• “….most fine days in the evenings I go out on the scooter and go and see what the local farmers are doing”. (Male 70s)

Walking as discretionary mobility

Walking & social capital

• “…. a nice sense of community when things are…. when you’re walking about the village….” (Female early 70s)

• “Keeping fit first, fresh air, seeing people, seeing different things, enjoying the flowers at the moment, meeting people on your way”. (Female late 60s)

• “Because you meet everybody on the way and everybody knows you and they stop and chat”. (Female mid 70s)

• “But you are more in tune with the people you live with when you walk”. (Female late 60s)

“Belonging” in a community

Barriers to walking

• “One of our problems really is that he can’t walk when we get to somewhere so we tend not to go….I don’t want to leave him sitting in the car whilst I walk the dog somewhere”. (Female 60s)

• “Walking is out as far as I am concerned, it just doesn’t happen. My wife would like to walk more, but doesn’t like walking on her own around the village”. (Male 60s)

• “Well I’m not doing much walking at the moment but I use to walk to the village twice a day….and I liked that with the dog, but my balance is poor now”. (Female mid 70s)

The issue of traffic

• “You couldn’t walk, you have got to be very vigilant walking this road because they just come up the road as if they are on a motorway”. (Female 60s)

• “Walking around here is... you are putting your life at risk that is the trouble... If you are on the roads”. (Female early 80s)

• “this pub up here is exactly half a mile... if we walk up there in the winter we wear one of those reflector jackets and carry a light...” (Male, 65)

Consequences of not being able to make discretionary journeys

• “So it is the only thing that keeps us going is our little trips out”. (Male late 60s)

• “I'd certainly miss walking to the village; I would miss walking terribly if I couldn’t do that….quality of life actually”. (Female 60s)

• “….he was stuck in his house, couldn't get around…. and to be stuck in his lounge all day long was terrible”. (Male 70s discussing a friend & neighbour)

• “you’d end up to a point, being a prisoner in your own home”. (Female late 60s)

Conclusions

• Importance of discretionary mobility to older people, e.g. ‘getting out to see nature’

• Discretionary mobility (capital) implicit in the creation of social capital and sustainable (rural) communities

• Local environment important, but there can be barriers to discretionary mobility

• Misplaced focus on ‘mobility’ solutions? It could be beneficial to give more focus to walking environment in rural areas

• Will be a growing issue for the future….

Thank you.

Any Questions?

Graham.parkhurst@uwe.ac.uk

Charles.musselwhite@uwe.ac.uk

Ian2.shergold@uwe.ac.uk