Transportation has long been one of the areas of senior care that has been debated among senior care services and providers. Is it something that should be provided by a care service? Or is this the family’s area of responsibility? If transportation is to be provided by the care service, in what capacity should it be presented? Should it just be for medical appointments, or should it be more inclusive?
Depending on who you speak to, you are going to get different answers. The leading argument against providing transportation comes from a liability point of view. What if the driver is involved in an accident, or what if they accidentally injure the senior that they are helping getting them in and out of the vehicle?
These are definitely causes for concern, and the potential for legal action alone has been a strong deterrent for the provision of transportation. However, there are clear benefits to transportation. From our point of view, those benefits are strong enough that the negative aspects of providing transportation can be overcome.
Transportation helps seniors maintain their lifestyle for longer. It helps them continue to do the things that they enjoy doing and feel like they are still contributors to their own lives. It gives them a say in their day and it empowers them. It keeps them active and engaged with the world around them. That might not seem like a big deal at first, but try to imagine how you would feel if someone told you that you were no longer allowed to drive anymore? You’d probably be very angry. Once that wore off and you realized that they were right, there would probably be a deep sadness and then a feeling of being trapped. Allowing seniors that cannot drive themselves to be transported by a caregiver helps to alleviate these emotions. It brings the power back into their hands.
It might seem to be a small thing at first, but it’s a small thing that packs a big punch.
Now, not all seniors need transportation to and from places. This is especially true of those that are in a nursing home or are homebound because of medical reasons. In these cases, it would be unsafe for a caregiver to assist with transportation.
However, for many seniors in the early stages of their senior care, there is still a deep desire to be active and a part of their community. Whether this means going to church services, the movies, or to the park once a week, the elderly have things that they enjoy doing.
That’s not a surprise, right? You and I have interests and ambitions outside of the home. Why wouldn’t everyone else?
I think that it can be a little easy to fall into the trap of thinking that as people age they lose interest in the world around them. This simply isn’t true. The issue is that they have a harder time interacting with the world around them because of medical issues and disabilities. Those interests don’t suddenly go away the moment someone turns 65 and retires. Rather, they just get harder to engage with as mobility and transportation become more difficult.
This is why Paradise In-Home Care has been an outspoken advocate for providing transportation as a part of senior care. When people are happier, their health tends to be better. When people can do the things that they love doing, physical health often stays stronger for longer. Even if we don’t fully understand why, there is indeed a strong link between mental and physical health. Helping out with transportation to keep seniors more active is a small step toward helping to improve both of these.
Arranging transportation schedules will differ from service to service. We would love to help walk you through our process and let you know what we can and can’t do. The goal is to help people as much as possible by providing the most complete and comprehensive care that we can. Get in touch with us if you’d like more information regarding this topic.
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