Do you use any transportation services?

[Beth T Browne]

I live in Orange County California.  They provide a service to take you to doctors in the area.  It is called Age Well.  It only cost $3 one way.  So a round trip would be. $6.  I have taken it twice, and love it.  I still drive, but a couple of doctors are far from me, and I try to avoid freeways.

[dawn]

I would like to but I find it too costly.

[Ray Birk]

I gave my license up when I decided that my freezing gait was so bad that if someone saw me before or after driving, they would call the police because they would have thought I could not be able to driver. I do not know about other people but my freezing gait did not affect my driving.  So it was decision I made based on how it appeared to others.

As far as transportation services, before checking into it I thought I could use Uber or Lyft, but they are more expensive than I thought. So.. I use my friends. All of those people who said “if you need anything just let me know.” I decided to see if they meant it and by golly they did! I have three people who take me to my activities during the week.

[Beth T Browne]

Most cities of any good size usually have a government transportation service for the elderly.  Mine is call Age Well.  Perhaps if you made contact with one of the services that help us elderly, they can tell you.  My daughter found Age Well on line.  $3 one way going and $3 to get back home is very inexpensive.  They only take you to doctors with in certain areas.  However, Orange County is pretty good size.  So, it covers all my doctors.

[Ally]

Hi Beth, that’s great – thank you for sharing that resource. I hope it is something that is available in other communities. It sounds so helpful and affordable.

[Ally]

Hi Ray, thanks for sharing. I’m glad you have such great friends! Uber and Lyft are good options in a pinch but hard on the budget if you use them often. I bet the driving time doubles as social time with friends which is always nice, too. 🙂

[STEVEN OPPEN]

I am starting to use transportation services in some cases. I have to travel to Gainesville once every month for the next 5 months or so (I’m in Sarasota,a 2.5 hour trip one way). When I decided to get DBS if I passed muster, I knew that I was committed to getting to the U. of Florida, because it is a Center of Excellence . I am a strong believer in the theory that the best neurosurgeons, neurologists and other team members are the ones who do thousands of DBS surgeries, so it was necessary to take on the cost of transportation and other expenses as well. I have had the surgery, and I go to Gainesville tomorrow to get the first adjustment to my equipment settings. I hope that I will begin to feel significantly better as the team zeros in on the best settings for me. I’m told that this could take 5-6 visits, and I am prepared to give the U. of F. team every opportunity to succeed. Thus far, the results are not great, but I will persist.

Back to transportation. I am also using a care giver to take me back and forth to local doctor appts. I still drive (pretty well, I think), so driving mysrlf on occasion is still an option. The difficult part of this activity is getting the commitment of the people yoo are using. Oh, and one other thing. If you use private providers, the question of whether their insurance provides you, the passenger, with any kind of protection is questionable. I doubt that your friend or relative, say, has the proper type and amount of insurance coverage. The conclusion? Ask your insurance agent to do some research and let you know if you can put some kind of rider on your policy that will protect you. Otherwise, it’s buyer beware.

[Alan Tobey]

We people living in grater Parkinsonia — patients and caregivers and families alike — tend to look only at our card when it comes to our transportation. Can I still drive? Or if not well, should I still risk it? And if not at all, what else is there?  But to succeed, we need to look at transportation as a SYSTEM with multiple pieces.  I hope some of my own experiences as a DWPD – Driver with Parkinson’s — will help you with your evolution.

I was lucky that we’ve lived in Berkeley, a small California city embedded in a region needing to move around in 5 to 20 mile chunks. Before I retired I could get a bus a block from my house that headed toward downtown or across the Bay, or walk about 3/4 of a mile to a BART station for regional links, or even bicycle surprisingly far. Calling our<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>district Walkable Wesbrae<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>symbolized the attraction of walking our groceries home a half-mile from the grocery store in a backpack, picking up exercise points along the way.

All that may seem like a transportation paradise. Yet most residents remain unnecessarily car-dependent.  As do I at age 77, they age ever closer to the dreaded day when they no longer qualify for a DMV license renewal.  And they think they will be left to depend on the loyalty of relatives and the kindness of strangers, feeling stranded most of the time.

But if you think about improving and creating your new personal transportation SYSTEM, the process can be confidence-building and even possibly enjoyable. Let me give you just two early steps to light the way.

First, deal with the driving issues openly and honestly.  Take a few “reminder” lessons to avoid some common problems, talk honestly with your instructor about how you can improve.   As your renewal approaches, get a professional written evaluation of our your abilities — and follow the verdict.  You may be more capable than you fear, and accepting some restrictions on where and when you drive may keep you behind the wheel for years more.

But even <i>before</i><span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>that day comes –<i> </i>start working on alternatives.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>I’ll tell you my favorite and why it works, even though there are are other good choices.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>It’s that strangely ignored resource called “the bus” — yes, that big mysterious vehicle you see filled with strangers and going who knows where. <span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span>

Three reasons to check out a bus ride: 1. Fares are usually discounted for seniors 2. If you live in even mid-sized places they get you close to many of your destinations, and these days you have more time to get there. And most of all 3. you have a<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>SYSTEM TO<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>GUIDE YOU THERE. <span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>It’s called your mobile phone,<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>Open a map application, type in your destination, choose “transit” and you’ll have your step-by-step and bus- y-bus directions.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>At first I couldn’t do that without first working it out on a paper map I had to carry.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>Not anymore: I just write in where I’m going, and when I need to arrive, and I’m on my way.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>The transportation SYSTEM may surprise me with an unknown route, but I’m never lost. I only need to be clear about where and when.

And I’ll throw in one more “plus for bus” reason to go there: the riders are much friendlier than on other systems — and why not, they’re more like you. <span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span>

With one system conquered you can move on to others with confidence.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>And even your former last-resort drivers will have a changed<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>view: “That Alan. He hardy ever calls me anymore.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”>  </span>I wonder what he’s up to?” It’s simple: you’re out having fun getting around on more and more pieces of your local bus SYSTEM and all its moving parts.