Aim: To examine whether the dual process model of coping with bereavement is a useful framework for understanding driving retirement, and to evaluate the perceived impact of an evidence informed workshop on older adults’ emotional (loss oriented) and practical/mobility (restoration oriented) coping and planning.
Method: A longitudinal qualitative evaluation of a free, interactive three‑hour driving retirement workshop delivered by clinical psychologists and driver retirement experts in the ACT (Australia). Participants completed surveys pre‑workshop, one week post‑workshop, and six weeks post‑workshop; free‑text responses were analysed using content analysis. A matched sample of 25 participants (aged 64–93 years) provided data across all three timepoints.
Key findings:
- Participants’ concerns and experiences mapped clearly onto the dual process model, spanning both loss-oriented stressors (e.g., grief, frustration, perceived loss of independence/identity) and restoration-oriented stressors (e.g., maintaining mobility and daily activities).
- Immediately after the workshop, participants reported reduced grief and fewer practical concerns, alongside increased validation of their emotional responses and greater consideration of alternative transport options.
- Over the six-week follow-up, many participants began trialling new mobility strategies (e.g., public transport, walking more, seeking lifts/support, using rideshare or mobility aids), indicating movement toward restoration-oriented coping.
- Perceptions changed over time in a nonlinear way (e.g., grief reduced postworkshop then rose again at follow-up), consistent with oscillation between loss and restoration focused coping.
Implications: Findings support using a grief-informed, dual process lens to design driving retirement supports that deliberately address both emotional adjustment and practical mobility planning. Interventions may be most helpful when offered early, to allow time for gradual planning and experimentation with transport alternatives, and they should include mechanisms for emotional validation alongside locally relevant information about transport options. Given variability in need, scalable programs (including group, digital, and referral pathways for more individualised support) may improve wellbeing and sustain community participation for older adults transitioning away from driving.