Caregiving and Travel Patterns

D'Ambrosio, Lisa · 2013 · ROSA P / New England University Transportation Center

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of caregiving for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias on mobility and travel patterns, specifically focusing on trips made by caregivers on behalf of their care recipients. Motivated by the growing prevalence of unpaid caregiving in an aging population, the research addresses a gap in understanding how caregivers adjust their travel behavior to accommodate the needs of those they support. The study examines the nature of the caregiver-recipient relationship, the types of trips undertaken, and the strategies used to manage these additional demands, such as trip chaining or foregoing certain activities. The analysis utilized data from a larger study conducted between 2005 and 2007 in central and eastern Massachusetts, which originally assessed the effects of educational interventions regarding dementia and driving. The sample consisted of 79 caregivers, primarily spouses or adult children of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, other dementias, or mild cognitive impairment. Participants were selected based on their anticipated role in driving decisions for the care recipient. The methodology centered on pre-test interviews that included questions about transportation habits and specific trips made for grocery shopping, financial matters, medical appointments, personal items, and other purposes. Findings indicate that grocery shopping was the most frequent trip type for all caregivers, followed by financial matters, medical appointments, personal shopping, and other trips such as car repairs or social visits. The frequency of these trips reflects the essential nature of household and disease management, with social or discretionary trips often being deprioritized or delegated to others. Spousal caregivers reported making trips more frequently than other relatives, with grocery trips ranking highest. In contrast, adult child caregivers prioritized medically related trips second only to grocery shopping, whereas spouses ranked medical trips third. Notably, caregivers rarely reported never making medically related trips, highlighting the critical importance of health monitoring regardless of the care recipient’s driving ability. The study concludes that caregiving imposes significant transportation demands that integrate into the broader spectrum of responsibilities faced by caregivers. While previous research has identified transportation as a major challenge, this work clarifies how specific trip types take precedence based on the disease diagnosis and the caregiver’s relationship to the recipient. Medically related trips, though not always the most frequent, represent a crucial focus of caregiving efforts. These findings underscore the complex adjustments in travel behavior required to support loved ones with dementia, providing insights into the evolving mobility needs of an aging society.

Key finding

Only 1 of 19 adult-child caregivers and 5 of 55 spousal caregivers reported never making a medically related trip on behalf of their care recipient, making medical trips the category caregivers were least likely to forgo.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 79

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• mci dementia driving