When you wake up in the morning, your first thought may not be how will I get to work or how will I get my child to school. But if any of your normal routines break down due to public transit delays, weather conditions or car troubles, your day will probably be negatively impacted. Now just imagine if you can’t drive or don’t have access to public transit—maybe you’ve just been released from the hospital or have been injured or your vision has become impaired, making it unsafe for you to be behind the wheel or difficult to get to a bus stop.
Transportation is a key issue for millions of older Americans and people with disabilities and their caregivers. For those of us who are caregivers to our parents, arranging transportation can be one of the most common supports provided. I can remember when my Dad lived in an assisted living facility in Louisiana, while I was in DC, how hard it was to arrange a ride for him to go to the dentist—especially because he had dementia. In fact, 78 percent of caregivers provide or arrange rides for their loved ones.
According to AARP, in 2011, family caregivers provided 1.4 billion rides per year to older adults. Still, older adults who live a long distance from family or who need frequent rides (such as individuals receiving chemotherapy or dialysis) depend on more formal services to meet their needs.
Transportation remains the number one reason people call the Eldercare Locator, the only national information and referral resource to provide support to older adults across the spectrum of need. Callers request information about rides to medical appointments, other transportation needs and older driver safety education. As a former health services researcher, it makes a great deal of sense to me that providing transportation to medical care would lead to improved health outcomes. Unfortunately, this idea has often been overlooked by the health care community.
Recent findings from a Community-Based Care Transitions Program site in Atlanta saw a sharp reduction in the 30-day hospital readmission rate for those enrolled and receiving transportation services compared with those without transportation services (64% reduction in readmission rates compared with 23%). They also found a 7% improved success rate in physician visits within 14 days after discharge. Makes sense, right? If someone arranges your ride to the doctor, you’d be more likely to go, wouldn’t you? While the sample size may be too small to be conclusive, the findings are promising enough to suggest that more targeted study focused on transportation is warranted. The Atlanta Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging—who ran this program—also has developed a great “trip discovery” online tool for public, private, specialized and volunteer transportation services called Simply Get There.
To promote the availability and accessibility of transportation options for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers, the Federal Transit Administration created the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) is jointly administered by n4a and Easterseals and offers resources, webinars and technical assistance to help community-based organizations effectively implement Section 5310 programs for enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities in your state or community.
And next time someone you know gets released from the hospital or you don’t see them as often at social gatherings or worship services, why not call them up and ask if they need a ride? Your offer would not only brighten their day, it could also improve his or her health and well-being.