Dignified and affordable transportation should be available for seniors in private cars for anywhere they want to go, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The rest of us use cars to get where we want to go, when we want to go. Why shouldn't older adults enjoy the same privilege. Now they can. Thanks to ITNAmerica, this mission is becoming a daily reality for senior members of ITN affiliates in over 22 communities in America. It should be available everywhere. Don't you agree?
Comments (10)
I agree that we should develop as many options as possible to meet the diverse needs and preferences of older adults. We need to keep on improving and expanding transportation for older persons that meets their needs and preferences. I don't agree that one model fits everyone. And, thousands of public and community transportation providers today are providing dignified and affordable transportation in vehicles other than cars.
I agree with JaneHardinDC that one model cannot fit everyone. Transportation for seniors is a mozaic of needs and ITN is just one piece of the transportation puzzle. But the principle remains that older adults are entitled to reliable and convenient transportation to wherever they want to go, whenever they want to go, at a price that is affordable. Where this already exists, it is not necessary to duplicate service. Where it does not exist, ITN is an important alternative that can meet this need.
I'm interested to see what this will look like in our community. In Ithaca, we have ITN working to make out-of-county transportation easier, and to fill our transportation gaps.
I look forward to hearing a report from Ray Weaver on the outcome of the Ithaca arrangement.
ITN's concept and ability of helping the elder transition their driving habits over time is an amazing part of why they are so successful. An elder can drive during the day, and use ITN at night, and soon they will wonder why they are driving at all when ITN is so easy and so much cheaper than owning and operating a car themselves. To change the habits of an elder it is often best to start by getting the camel's nose under the tent.
John Boden
ITN's concept, while tailored to the needs of elders, would meet the needs of many other population groups in communities with inadequate public transportations options. In many communities, including mine, if you can't drive, you are stuck! While there are other ways to address getting from place to place without your own auto, ITN seems to me to be a part of the overall solution that works.
ITN strives ans succeeds because of community ownership - every part of the community - families, healthcare providers, businesses, places of worships, grocery chains, clubs, libraries and more understand that we we need to own and solve the transportation crisis. It's a profound service that not only helps persons 60 and older and the visually impaired get out, go and live life fully, it engages volunteer drivers who themselves are seeking to engage, to give back, to fill their lives with meaning.
ITN rides helps keep seniors in their homes where they have many memories, retain their independence and continue enjoying a higher quality of life.
The fact that ITN is a 24/7 service sends the message that life does not end at 5 PM for older adults. If members wish to enjoy a 6 PM dinner or a 7.30 PM talk at the library or a beer with friends at the pub - no worries - we don't tell them how to live their lives - what we tell them is here's a way to add to your transportation options, here is a way to stay in control, here is a way to give up the keys and not stop living - do it with confidence because our tailored service dedicated to your health and happiness is HERE for YOU whenever you need transportation with a service that knows you, the little things that matter to you and want each trip to be a meaningful experience and not just a ride.
As an ED of an ITN affiliate, I may be biased, but our experience of starting from zero three years ago and getting ready to deliver our 16,000th ride very soon, convinces me that this senior transportation model works and is very needed. We hear it all the time! No one who drives thinks twice about jumping in the car and driving to the grocery store -- it is just a routine chore for most of us. That said, NO trip is mundane to those people who otherwise couldn't get there. I am proud of the service we provide and that we are another option in the community.