Our Senior Task Force has met with many senior citizens groups to find out just what some of their real needs are and if we can be of assistance. It was surprising to us that transportation was a pretty big issue. We do have the Pace system which is good. However, in a lot of instances, it is not adequate for seniors.
First of all, they have to walk to wherever the bus stop is and wait. Sometimes the weather is a bad factor when waiting. One lady stated she had missed two doctor’s appointments that she had to pay for. In order to get to her doctor, she had to take a bus and transfer to another bus. But they were not on time as planned, so she missed two appointments.
We have spent a lot of time meeting with Arlington Heights. Their driver program has been in operation for 10 years. They have been our role model. The way it works is that a senior citizen can call for a ride to any medical appointment that does not require an anesthetic.
The volunteer driver picks them up, along with a caregiver if needed, takes them to their appointment, stays with them and then drives them home. The senior pays no money to the driver.
At the end of the month, the seniors will receive a bill for the rides they have taken that month.
The price is not yet decided, but likely around $12 for the round trip. The senior pays if they can, or whatever they can afford.
Did we ever have fun selecting a name for the rides program! Two names submitted were “Easy Rider” and “Golden Rollers.” But those names really didn’t describe the program. So we settled on RAN, which stands for Ride Assist Naperville. Our friend, Mary Lou Wehrli, is now in the process of designing our logo.
We are just getting this started and are accepting volunteers to be on the new board of directors. If you want to be considered, go to our website: http://www.naperville.il.us/government/board-and-commissions/senior-task-force/ and fill out the form for us.
At this point, we are not asking for drivers. That will come after we are ready to roll! Pun intended.
