By 2050, adults aged 65 and older will comprise roughly one-quarter of the United States population, heightening the importance of understanding factors that shape older adults’ residential choices. While most prefer to remain in familiar homes and communities, many relocate to senior-living communities such as retirement homes, board-and-care residences, or nursing homes. Among the factors that may shape these transitions, declining driving ability may be especially relevant in the US, where older adults remain heavily dependent on private vehicles to meet everyday needs, access healthcare, and maintain social connections. As driving becomes more difficult or impossible, older adults may face growing challenges to independent living. Yet the role of driving decline in residential transition has received limited empirical attention.
This study uses 9 waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) from 2011 to 2019. A discrete-time event-history model was used to examine whether older adults’ driving status and experiences of driving-related challenges predict residential transitions to senior-living communities.
Non-driving status strongly predicts residential relocation. However, individuals who voluntarily self-regulate driving face relocation risks similar to those who have already ceased driving entirely. Among non-drivers, timing matters: older adults who recently ceased driving are substantially more likely to relocate than peers who stopped over a decade earlier, whose risk approximates that of current drivers.
These findings suggest that policy interventions aimed at expanding alternative transportation options may help older adults maintain independence and reduce the risk of entering senior-living communities.