Cycling Without Age: An Innovative Program to Improve the Quality of Life for Older Adults
Background
The Cycling Without Age (CWA) program was introduced at a long-term care campus in the United States and expanded to additional sites in the local community to enhance the quality of life for older adults. CWA is a program designed to provide the trishaw rider with a trishaw bicycle ride as one to two individuals sit in a specially outfitted trishaw that is attached to the front of a specially designed bicycle driven by trained volunteer drivers. The program participants of CWA spend more time outdoors, enjoy touring the community in trishaws, and develop intergenerational relationships with their volunteer pilots. The program strengthens ties between the long-term care campus residents and the greater community. This long-term care campus became the first older adult care services provider in the United States to become a licensee and convene a coalition to launch the CWA program.

Purpose
Limited research has been done in this area since trishaw bicycle rides are new to the older adult care field. The CWA program was introduced to enhance the quality of life in persons residing in the long-term care facility. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the Cycling Without Age (CWA) program on trishaw riders and trishaw pilots at a long-term care facility in the United States.

Methods
A qualitative study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of the CWA program. The qualitative design consisted of a phenomenological approach to collect data through semi-structured face to face interviews. A total of 27 interviews were conducted with 16 riders and 11 pilots at a long-term care facility in the United States over a two month period.

Results
Researchers identified five phenomenological themes. Three themes were identified with the 16 older adult riders: 1) a breath of fresh air, 2) wave, chat and remember, and 3) sit back and relax. Two themes were identified for the 11 volunteer pilots: 1) change in frame of mind, and 2) mental and physical rewards.

Conclusion
The study findings confirmed the positive impact of the CWA experience for long-term care residents and pilots. The CWA program provided an opportunity for more meaningful interactions between long-term care residents, family, staff and community volunteers participating in the program. The clinical relevance for the CWA program can be seen as the older adult population continues to expand, long-term care facilities, older adult community centers, and community programs can use the activity of CWA as a new strategy for patient-centered approach to care. The CWA program is a unique way to engage family members in being a partner in care through becoming a volunteer pilot or enjoying a trishaw ride together with their family member. Since the CWA program is relatively new, it provides an opportunity for leadership and community engagement to create a CWA chapter in a community. In this case the CWA introduction was a community project engaging the long-term care campus, senior center, police department, city planning office, bicycle business, university nursing school, and older adults living on the campus.

Presenter: Paula McNiel
Agency Affiliation: University of Wisconsin Oshkosh WI

Presenter Biographical Statement: [biography]