Home is sweet, but how about if you need to get to a doctor’s appointment or run a simple errand and you can no longer drive…what then?
Betty Ross, 75 of Morganza, lives with her daughter, Tammy. Tammy works two jobs supporting herself, her son and her mother. With a busy work schedule, there is no time during the day for Tammy to deliver her mother to an eye doctor’s appointment, but that is where a local volunteer program called “Senior Rides” comes in.
Thanks to the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging, there is a phone number that Ross can call to schedule a ride to and from her appointment. “Otherwise, my daughter would have to take the whole day off,” said Ross. “If I can do it on my own, then that is what I’d like to do.”
As the oldest of the nation’s 79 million baby boomers turn 62 this year, the demand for these services is growing. Concern over how the bulging population of seniors will get around is paramount among advocates for the elderly.
The Senior Rides program provides St. Mary’s County residents who are 60 years of age or older with door-to-door transportation to medical and social appointments, shopping and basic errands. However, there are some basic eligibility criteria for program participation.
Sandy Markwood, chief executive of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging stated, “Half of American households don’t have access to adequate transportation options other than cars. Rural America and suburbs don’t have public transportation available.”
The program relies on volunteer drivers from the local community. Drivers receive training and certification, mileage reimbursement and supplemental insurance from the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging. The Department manages all the ride coordination for the participants as well.
Barbara Lamb spotted a notice for volunteer drivers in her church bulletin. She completed her required training and has been providing transportation for seniors for many months. “I’ve met a lot of great people through the Senior Rides Program,” said Lamb. “There is a time in your life when you need outside help.”
There is additional psychological benefit of the program in that it provides a means for seniors to stay involved and active within the community. “Many seniors are very isolated but they get to know their drivers and they ask for a particular driver,” said Denise Charlot, of the St. Mary’s County Department of Aging. “It gets to be a friendship and a network.”
More than 600,000 people age 70 and older stop driving each year, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, but the desire to drive does not diminish with age. For information on the Senior Rides Program, contact St. Mary’s County Department of Aging (301) 475-4200 Ext. 1066 or visit the Web site, www.stmarysmd.com/doa.