Psychosocial Aspects of Seniors’ Transport Exclusion: Selected Issues

Abstract

Social exclusion is a multidimensional phenomenon extending beyond poverty, unemployment, access to various goods and services, but also covering the scope of breakdown of social ties and a sense of isolation as well as dependence on others. This phenomenon affects various social groups, but seniors experience the effects of social exclusion in a special way. This article aims to show how the transport-related social exclusion of seniors influences their psychosocial functioning. The problem of transport-related exclusion in Poland currently affects 13.8 million people living in municipalities where there is no organized public transport. The article tries to answer the question about the extent to which the surveyed seniors experience transportation disadvantage and how the limited access to public transport affects their psychosocial functioning. The obtained results quite clearly indicate that the elderly experience many effects of transport-related exclusion, which has an impact on the quality of their life. The communication exclusion limits their access to health care, which results in decreasing their health. Seniors experience exclusion due to difficult access to public transport, goods and services that affect their life quality. Research shows that seniors feel dependent on others. Restricting contacts with family and friends causes them to feel lonely.