Priya Vin has worked in the aging and developmental disabilities field for 5 years and is based in northern New Jersey. Her experience has been in program management. She received her Master's in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, where she specialized in health care policy. She is excited to be contributing to eCareDiary. Priya's contact information is priyavin80@yahoo.com.
You recently found yourself looking for ways to help your parents or the older adult in your life get themselves to important appointments or social activities. This could be a hard task. It starts with a conversation with them. Then thinking about the possible solutions. Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there. When you begin the conversation with them, you will want to ask them a few questions.
While talking to them, try to understand if they are comfortable with changing from their old routine to a new routine. Often, people want to stick with what they know because it is familiar and gives them a sense of independence.
There are a lot of services available to older adults and explaining the options might be convincing enough to change routines. There will probably be added benefits to alternate forms of transportation, such as lower cost, safety, or reliability. But hopefully, they can maintain their sense of independence.
Car
Most people get around with a car. It is a great mode of transportation and it can give a nice sense of independence. However, as you get older, it can become increasingly difficult to be a safe driver. Before you worry too much, it is a good idea to see if your parent or older adult friend can still drive their car.
When you talk to them, you will have to see if they can still drive in a safe way and if they are physically capable of doing it as well. You want to talk to them about their eyesight or any other medical issue. They might just need to update their eyeglasses prescription. But getting it checked out by the doctor is a good idea.
So talking to them about this will have to be done in a delicate way. But you will have to explain and persuade that it is not safe to drive if they are not able to do so. Also, reassure them there are other modes of transportation and that you are willing to help them find it.
AARP has great resources on this topic. They have a few different sections on driving and there is one about talking to an older adult about driving. There is also a section on driver safety .
Public Transportation
If your parents do not own a car, how do they normally get themselves around? Do they rely upon public transportation? Public transportation is a good option because it usually does not cost as much and can be good and reliable. If your parent does not already take public transportation, you might want to think about it as possible option. But this obviously depends if they are mentally and physically able to. In many instances, a discount is offered to older adults. You will have to have a conversation to see if they can continue using public transportation.
Suburban and rural areas
If your parents do not own a car or live near public transportation, there are other options. They should contact their local Area Agency on Aging. According to the National Area Agency on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) were established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and over in every local community. By providing a range of options that allow older adults to choose the home and community-based services and living arrangements that suit them best, AAAs make it possible for older adults to remain in their homes and communities as long as possible.
The local Area Agency on Aging is a wonderful resource for your parents' needs for transportation or anything else. They will know about other local resources, such as private transit, specialized transit, and senior transit.
Network of Support
If you are not fortunate to be around for your parents or the older adult in your life, it might be a good idea to set up a network of support. Try talking to neighbors, other relatives in the area, or other older adults to facilitate a network. You might be surprised how this really would work.
Resources and More
A lot of issues, like figuring out proper and good transportation, arise when you become someone's caregiver and it can be frustrating. But there a number of solutions and ways of helping that person out.
