About MTC Initiative
The Mobility Transition Counseling (MTC) Initiative is a product of over ten years of education and research concerning mobility change in aging. Educators and researchers, Tom Meuser, PhD, University of Missouri – St. Louis, and Marla Berg-Weger, PhD, Saint Louis University, joined forces, with other colleagues, in 2001 to examine attitudes of key stakeholders (e.g., physicians, other health professionals, family caregivers, law enforcement) concerning dementia and driver safety (Perkinson et al, 2005).
Since then, they have conducted over 120 professional workshops on aging, driving and mobility throughout the US (Meuser et al, 2006; Meuser et al, 2010). Their research has appeared in such journals as The Gerontologist, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, Accident Prevention & Analysis, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, and many others. They have received funding and other instrumental support in the past from the National Institute on Aging, Missouri Department of Transportation, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Washington University Center on Aging, Missouri Department of Revenue, American Medical Association, Easter Seals, National Center on Senior Transportation, the Retirement Research Foundation, and other sources.
The MTCI is an outgrowth of work conducted since 2008 to better understand individual difference factors associated with how older adults transition from driving to non-driving mobility. Giving up driving is a frightening prospect for many older adults, as driving a personal vehicle is often considered a key to independence. Meuser and Berg-Weger applied for funding in 2008 from the National Center on Senior Transportation, an affiliate of Easter Seals, to study emotional and attitudinal factors associated with preparedness to make the driving to non-driving transition. A series of focus groups with community-dwelling older adults provided a basis for understanding such factors (King, Meuser, Berg-Weger, et al, 2011). This work culminated in the development of the Assessment of Readiness for Mobility Transition (ARMT), a key evaluative tool in mobility transition counseling (Meuser, Berg-Weger, et al, 2011).
King, M.D., Meuser, T.M., Berg-Weger, M., Chibnall, J.C., Harmon, A., & Yakimo, R. (2011). Decoding the Miss Daisy Syndrome: An examination of subjective responses to mobility change. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 54(1), 29-52. View Abstract
Meuser, T.M., Berg-Weger, M., Niewoehner, P.M., Harmon, A.C., Kuenzie, J.C., Carr, D.B., Barco, P.D. (2012). Physician input and licensing of at-risk drivers: A review of all-inclusive medical evaluation forms in the US and Canada, Accident Analysis & Prevention, 46 (May 2012), 8-17. ISSN 0001-4575, 10.1016/j.aap.2011.12.009. View Abstract
Meuser, T.M., Berg-Weger, M., Chibnall, J.T., Harmon, A.C., & Stowe, J.N. (2011 on-line; 2012 print). Assessment of readiness for mobility transition (ARMT): A tool for mobility transition counseling with older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi: 10.1177/0733464811425914. View Abstract
Perkinson, M.A., Berg-Weger, M.L., Carr, D.B., Meuser, T.M., Palmer, J.L., Buckles, V.D., Powlishta, K.K., Foley, D.J., & Morris, J.C. (2005). Driving and Dementia of the Alzheimer Type: Beliefs and Cessation Strategies Among Stakeholders. The Gerontologist, 45(5), 676-85. View Abstract
Meuser, T.M., Carr, D.B., Irmiter, C., Schwartzberg, J.G., & Ulfarsson, G.F. (2010). The American Medical Association Older Driver Curriculum for Health Professionals: Changes in trainee confidence, attitudes, & practice behavior, Journal of Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 31, 290-309. View Abstract
Meuser, T.M., Carr, D.B, Berg-Weger, M., Niewoehner, P., & Morris, J.C. (2006). Driving and Dementia in Older Adults: Implementation and Evaluation of a Continuing Education Project. The Gerontologist, 46(5), 680-687. View Abstract