One of the many services we offer at 5 Star Concierge, LLC is providing transportation for our clients. We offer to chauffeur them to and from appointments, take them shopping, take them on a drive, help with moving them to a new location, and are happy to serve them as a traveling companion on a trip - whatever their transportation needs we can personally assist! It helps them from being isolated and depressed. If you are a busy family or have a career, we can help you transport your loved one when you have scheduling conflicts.
We offer a free consultation to help you access your needs. We only require a two-hour minimum. Serving Lane County, Oregon.
Photo courtesy of DailyCaring.com
SeniorLiving.org published an excellent article on providing personal transportation for seniors. Here is a repost of their article:
"Seniors maintaining their independence is crucial for healthy and active aging. A big part of independence is transportation. If you're unable to drive, consider using personal transportation...."
Medical Transportation Options
Finding transportation to go to the grocery store, or to visit friends, is one thing. Finding transportation to go to a doctor's appointment is another matter entirely. Showing up to these appointments, whether it be a test, a medical procedure, or just an ordinary checkup, is vital to your health.
Because of this, relying on public transportation might not be the best option in medical situations. Fortunately, when medical necessity is a factor, certain other options are made cheaper and more convenient.
Insurance Covered Transportation
Depending on your insurance provider, your health coverage may include a certain amount of transportation for medical purposes. In that case, a car, van, or other vehicle will pick you up at your home and take you to your appointment. There may, however, be limitations, such as the number of trips you can take per month. Call your insurance provider and find out what your options are and how to take advantage of them.
If you have Medicaid, a significant amount of your medical transportation is covered. If you have Medicare, however, then unfortunately, transportation to routine doctor's visits likely won't be available to you through your insurance. However, depending on your situation, you may be able to utilize an ambulance in certain non-emergency situations, if you have a written note from your doctor, stating that other forms of transportation are a danger to your health, and an ambulance is medically necessary.
Low Cost Alternatives
Even if your insurance doesn't cover transportation to routine doctor's appointments, there are often independent services you can explore. Many areas have local organizations that provide low cost, non-emergency medical transportation to seniors who don't drive, and/or have limited mobility. Again, do your research and find out what services are convenient to you, and what their options are.
Paying for Transportation
Whether it's important medical transportation or just a run of the mill trip into town, once you've secured your ride, you need to know how you're paying for it. If you're living on a fixed income, this might not be easy to do. Public transit may only be a few dollars, but when you're on a tight budget, every dollar counts. So what can you do to cover, or at least mitigate, the costs of transportation?
Senior Discounts
If you use public transit, many cities offer senior discounts, in one form or another. You may have to register for a specific program, or apply for a special senior bus or train pass, or take some other action in order to take advantage of the reduced fare. Some cities, such as Chicago, even allow seniors to ride public transportation free of charge! Research your area's various forms of public transportation and see what they offer.
As we mentioned earlier, many communities also have special, often non-profit and volunteer-based services, which provide medical and other forms of transportation to seniors who need help getting around. These services are often door to door, and may be offered at a low cost or even free of charge.
Ride Sharing
Another option to look into is ride sharing. Taxis can get expensive quickly, but apps like Uber and Lyft have options like ride sharing that can save you money. A ride share is, essentially, a carpool. Rather than having a vehicle simply pick you up and drop you off, it takes multiple people at one time to different destinations, thus defraying the cost for each of them.
Assisted Living Services
If you're living in an assisted living center, then the facility itself may offer its own transportation services, or partner with an independent service. They may provide you with a discounted rate, or the cost up to a certain amount may be included in your monthly rent. Ask what options they have available. Even if they don't have their own low cost transportation options, they can probably recommend some in the area that can meet your needs and your budget.
Long Distance Transportation
You've got transportation around your community covered, but what if you need to go across the country? Maybe you're moving to another state. Maybe an old friend has had an emergency, and you need to go to them. Maybe you just want to go on vacation. Whatever the circumstances, travel can be hard as you get older. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. So it's important to know how to handle it, if and when the situation arises.
Initial Considerations
The first thing to consider is your overall health. Certain conditions can make travel difficult or uncomfortable, including…
Physical Disabilities
Arthritis
Heart Disease
Diabetes
Colostomy
Sickle Cell Disease
Mental Health Issues
Talk to your doctor before you leave, to see if any medical issues may make a long distance trip difficult, or if they have any recommendations for how to travel, or what can be done to make it easier.
You also need to determine how you'll be traveling. Will someone be driving you? Will you be flying? Will you be taking a train or a bus? And will you be traveling alone, or will someone else go with you?
Especially if you have limited mobility, it's better to travel with a close friend or family member. Someone who knows your medical history and is familiar with your needs can help you if any issues arise, and provide pertinent information in the event of an emergency.
Traveling by Car
A road trip can be a lot of fun, but it can also be hard on you, if you're not prepared. Remember, it's anywhere from several hours to several days sitting in a confined space. So first of all, make sure you're traveling with someone whose company you'll be able to stand for that long. Second, make sure their vehicle is equipped to seat you comfortably for the duration of the trip, as well as store any apparatus you may have, such as a wheelchair or walker.
The roads may be uneven or unpredictable, so if you're prone to carsickness, be sure to take something for it at regular intervals. Budget as many stops as you need into the itinerary as well, for food, sleep, bathroom breaks, or just to stretch your legs. And be sure to bring plenty of your own music with you, in case, somewhere between Texas and Oklahoma, you can't seem to find a good radio station.
Remember that the most important thing isn't to get you to your destination quickly, but to get there safely and comfortably, with as little stress as possible. If that makes the trip take a little longer, then so be it. They say getting there is half the fun, anyway!
Traveling by Air
If you're flying, check with the airline, as well as any and all airports you'll be stopping at, to see if they can accommodate your needs, whatever they may be. Will they be able to…
Provide you with a wheelchair?
Help you through airport security?
If you have a layover, provide someone to get you from one gate to the other in time for your next flight?
Cater to any special needs, including dietary restrictions, while you're on the plane?
It's important to check in advance to see what specific accommodations can be provided, and let the airline know what your needs are, so they can be prepared. If a particular airline or airport doesn't have a good track record in that department, it might behoove you to seek out a different one for your travel needs.
The same goes for buses, trains, and other forms of travel. Accommodations may be more difficult in these instances, especially since it's likely to be a longer trip. So always check first to see what they offer and whether or not they can meet your needs and get you to your destination safely.
Moving
Sometimes you have to transport more than just yourself. If you're moving to a new location, you'll also have to transport all of your worldly belongings. As a senior with mobility issues, this often means moving into an assisted living facility. And whether it's across the country or just up the street, it may pose some challenges.
Sorting
The first step is to determine what you're able to take with you. This can lead to some tough choices. Especially if you've spent years or even decades living in the same place and accumulating more and more things, and now you're moving to a space that's much smaller. Choices will have to be made. You like the painting of a duck you got at a yard sale six years ago, but will you really miss it if it doesn't come with you to your new space? Or will it just be taking up extra room?
Get a couple of family members or trusted friends to help you go through all of your stuff and decide what's going to happen to it. Separate it into four categories:
Things you're taking with you – What you're going to need or want on a fairly regular basis in your new space. This includes clothes you wear frequently, basic appliances like your TV, toaster, and microwave, your top books, movies, and music, etc. There will be a lot less in this category if you're moving into a place that's already furnished.
Things you're putting into storage – Items you don't use regularly, but still want to maintain access to in a pinch. If you have a large collection of anything (paintings, figurines, vinyl records, etc.), this is where it will go. Most of your furniture can go into storage, along with family heirlooms and items of sentimental value.
Things you're giving away – The things you don't need anymore and can simply get rid of. Tell your friends and family who are helping you pack that if they want any of these things, they're welcome to them—with your prior approval, of course. Once they're done picking it over, you can donate what remains to Goodwill.
Things you're throwing away – If nobody else wants it, or if it's broken and unsalvageable, it goes in the garbage.
Packing Up
Once all the decisions have been made, everything you're taking with you needs to be packed up and transported to your new place—while everything else needs to be gotten rid of in whatever manner you've decided. If you can, get those same family and friends to pack everything up into boxes, load it onto the moving truck, etc. If you have the money, you can also hire professional movers. There are some who specialize in helping seniors and can make the process easier.
Long Distance Moving Options
If you're moving to another state, then you may need to hire long distance movers. This can be more expensive. If you are planning on putting some of your things in storage, then it might be easier to rent a storage facility in your current location instead of where you're moving to, in order to limit the amount that needs to be transported.
Certain companies, such as Pods, provide flexible long distance moving options that can be helpful. You rent a portable storage container and have either your family or hired professionals pack it up with whatever you're transporting. Then, the company will send someone to drive the container to your new location and drop it off a few days later. Your family can then unpack the container at your leisure and, once it's empty, schedule a day and time for it to be picked up. Depending on your situation, this can be a cheaper and more convenient way of getting your things to where they need to be.
Tools and Apps for Senior Transportation
One of the main things to keep in mind when it comes to transportation for seniors is the importance of conducting your own research, in order to find out what options are available in your area, which meet your needs and fall into your price range. Fortunately, there are a number of apps and other tools to help you. Here are a few that may prove helpful:
Uber and Lyft – Both great apps for getting a ride quickly and conveniently. They'll pick you up at your house and take you where you need to go, usually for a relatively low price. But even so, use them sparingly if you're on a tight budget.
Embark – Helps you plan your route in at least 12 different major public transit systems across the country
Eldercare Locator – Allows you to search by city or zip code for transportation services, along with help with a host of other senior-related issues.
In addition to these, AARP also has tools and info to help seniors obtain low cost transportation, and, as we mentioned before, so does AAA. You should also look at the websites for your insurance provider and your local public transit system to see if they have any tools that can be helpful in getting you from one place to another.
Just because you're getting older doesn't mean you have to stop moving. With a little work and the right resources, you can find plenty of ways of getting around town cheaply, safely, and conveniently, no matter what your mobility is like.
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