Feminine Perspectives I: Transportation Realities for Aging Women in Greater Minnesota

At 72, Mary-Ann started to experience a series of falls, leading to severely reduced motor skills. After surgery and extensive therapy, she is now showing improvements and technically meets all requirements to return to driving, but her care team advises against it, and her family is uncomfortable with its associated risks.

The problem— Mary-Ann lives nearly an hour from the Twin Cities and often needs to travel that distance for specialist appointments and to stay involved with her kids’ and grandkids’ lives. Getting a rideshare like Uber or Lyft is unreliable and far too expensive on her fixed income. She also worries that reaching out to family for this need will severely disrupt their busy schedules and believes invitations to the grandkids’ games and activities will decrease because of it. She wants to stay connected with her friends and community where she lives, but needs a link to health services and family in the cities.

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The story above reflects a challenge which resonates with thousands of older individuals, particularly women, and their families across Minnesota. For older adults in Greater Minnesota, transportation isn't just a convenience—it's a lifeline that impacts their physical and mental health, ultimately defining their quality of life. Due to longer life spans and traditional family care roles, these transportation burdens are experienced more amongst women.

In Minnesota, the total population of adults over 65 is growing at a rate never seen before. Minnesota Compass, a demographic data platform, estimates older adults make up over 1 million or 18 percent of the total population, with nearly 10% more women than men and these numbers are expected to keep rising through 2040. Of this population, over 50% live in greater Minnesota, or outside the seven-county metro region.

Addressing transportation challenges and barriers for this population should be a top priority for the state to ensure their health and wellbeing. Expanding transportation options in greater Minnesota will need to follow a different model than the Twin Cities area, which often moves to expand public transportation. In rural areas, this simply doesn't work economically or practically. Historically, volunteer drivers have been the solution, but these drivers are dwindling due policy issues. Additionally, today, there are reports that over 50% of volunteer drivers are between the ages of 65-69, leading to serious coverage concerns for the future. Winter weather conditions is also a challenge in Minnesota as it increases the risk for rural residents, in particular, who may travel long distances for their basic needs. These challenges mean aging adults are more likely to withdraw from social events or skip medical appointments due to a lack of transportation access.

When older adults withdraw from society, experience loneliness, or become isolated, they are at higher risk for serious health conditions such as heart disease, depression, and cognitive decline. Loneliness is also not experienced equally by men and women. Many may be inclined to assume that women experience loneliness less often due to their likelihood of establishing strong social connections, but women actually report higher instances of loneliness, especially women with disabilities. 

Innovative solutions are needed to bridge the transportation gap that aging women experience. Reliable and safe transportation connections to health services and social events are vital for aging women for overall physical and mental health, and can have profoundly positive impacts on quality of life. Prioritizing this growing need is becoming more and more urgent as the older population expands rapidly.