ABSTRACTMany of the limitations experienced by community-dwelling older women are related to mobility within their communities. This qualitative study explored community mobility from the perspective of older, community-dwelling women in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 23 older women (mean age 75.9 years) identified through an existing database. In addition to travels to conduct instrumental activities of daily living and participate in social and recreational activities, the women in the study described trips to fulfil social obligations (e.g., attending funerals, visiting sick friends) and emphasized the importance of these trips. The women's travels through the city were influenced by their perception of risk and the strategies they employed to minimize or avoid risk during the day, in the evening, and during bad weather. Autonomous community mobility provided the women with a sense of independence and control. The findings have potential implications for health care providers and community programmers who work to maintain older women in the community.
摘要居住在社区的老年妇女所经历的许多限制都与她们在社区内的流动性有关。这项定性研究从马尼托巴省温尼伯市居住在社区的老年妇女的角度探讨了社区流动性问题。通过现有数据库确定了 23 名老年妇女(平均年龄为 75.9 岁),并对她们进行了半结构式访谈。除了进行日常生活工具性活动和参加社交及娱乐活动的旅行外,参与研究的妇女还描述了为履行社会义务(如参加葬礼、探望生病的朋友)而进行的旅行,并强调了这些旅行的重要性。妇女们在城市中的出行受到了她们对风险的感知以及在白天、傍晚和恶劣天气下为尽量减少或避免风险而采取的策略的影响。自主的社区流动为妇女提供了一种独立感和控制感。研究结果对医疗服务提供者和社区计划制定者在社区中维护老年妇女的工作具有潜在的意义。