Are you a senior living in Naperville and need a ride to a medical appointment? Ride Assist Naperville (RAN) can help!
Ride Assist Naperville (RAN) is an organization that offers rides for seniors to get to appointments. The drivers are volunteers who have been vetted and trained to get seniors where they need to go.
According to Ashley Abraham, Executive Director at RAN, the organization has approximately 500 riders and 59 volunteer drivers. Prospective riders must be 60 years of age or older, be mobile to get in and out of a vehicle and reside in Naperville. Once a prospective rider has filed an application, one week (or more) notice must be given for an appointment date. The rider is then matched with a volunteer driver who will take them to the appointment, wait for them, then return the rider home. A donation of $15 for return ride is suggested.
Abraham says that RAN offers rides only to medical appointments, due to the limited number of drivers available. They urgently need driver volunteers. She would like to have 100 driver volunteers by the end of this year, so that every rider can get a ride and rides could be then expanded to other appointments, such as follow up physical therapy at gyms or pools.
Both seniors and volunteers benefit greatly.
According to Abraham, “It’s more than a ride to the doctor. It could be their only outing, and we want to make that pleasant for them.”
Information for riders and volunteers can be found on the RAN website rideassistnaperville.org.
Also note: Upcoming Memory Cafes for August 8.
Carpe Diem!
