Transportation problems plague seniors at end of their lives

By MARJORIE BROOKS
columns@modbee.com

last updated: June 26, 2008 11:36:42 PM

Men can expect to spend the last six years of their lives dependent on others for transportation. For women the time is 10 years.

No wonder that at the latest White House Conference on Aging, lack of transportation was named the No. 3 problem in the lives of seniors, ahead of both Medicare and Social Security issues.

An innovative nonprofit solution is moving across the country, however. It's come about because a mother in Maine saw her 3-year-old run over by an 84-year-old driver. The driver told the police he thought he had run over a dog.

The boy eventually recovered. The mother began work on a solution to the elderly driver quandary. Her idea became one that would keep those who shouldn't be driving from getting behind the wheel. But people would still be able to get to doctors' appointments, church, the drug and grocery stores, even to an occasional exercise class or card game.

Kathy Freund acted on the belief that "the man who drove that car was as much a victim as my son." She has pointed out that the annual fatal crash risk for senior drivers is soon to be higher than the alcohol-related risk for all drivers.

Freund proposed that older persons no longer driving their cars could turn in their automobiles' value in trade for rides. And thus the Independent Transportation Network was born.

Seniors could pay by the mile from accounts established initially by the value of their donated cars. Once their cars' equities were used up, they could still call for rides on a paying basis and even share rides at reduced fees.

Families could help by volunteering rides in their own cities or by buying ride gift certificates. Service clubs could initiate and even coordinate programs. Businesses that would otherwise lose the trade of transportation- dependent seniors could help with ride coupons. Seniors could earn ride credit by volunteering office work.

From Portland, Maine, to a Kentucky consortium to Santa Monica, Freund's idea has kept moving. The rules generally adapted by communities are availability 24-7; transport for any type of ride within the service area; service for anyone over 60 or with impaired vision; and discounts for shared rides and advance notice.

Modesto and Stanislaus County sorely need such a network. The transportation initiative set for the November ballot does not address dependent driver needs, even though that population continues to grow.

Senior groups are trying to remedy the oversight, but required fact-finding surveys are taking time. And meanwhile, each day the facts of aging dictate that once vibrant and contributing citizens must come to terms with their diminishing powers. So must their communities concern themselves with the issue of safety on their streets.

Choosing between keeping your mobility and becoming dependent on others for rides is a dilemma. A supportive transportation network would be a marvelous gift to the community.

Brooks, a retired educator, can be reached at columns@modbee.com.

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