Agency recruits drivers for transportation program
It's a problem faced by many older Americans, getting where they need to go, when they need to go there because they are no longer able to drive themselves. Care Connection for Aging Services (formerly the Area Agency on Aging) is seeking to remedy that problem by recruiting drivers for a volunteer transportation program, Provide-A-Ride. "We're looking for people who have patience, enjoy talking to people and can visit with the program participants," Melanie Hackney, program manager, said.
Volunteers would drive participants to doctors visits, clinics and wherever else they need to go.
"Some of the people have regular visits to get dialysis up at Butler, some need to go to Kansas City or Springfield," Hackney said. "Some of the driving would be right here in town. I expect that when the program gets more well known there will be more in-town driving."
Currently the program gets requests from three to five people a week, but some of them need help more than one day a week. "We have some who need to go to dialysis three times a week," Hackney said.
Hackney acknowledged that there are some services in place to provide rides to older adults but many are still not being served adequately. "PAR serves Vernon County residents by providing rides to older adults who would otherwise have no way to access essential services," Hackney said. "While there are some transportation services available in Vernon County, there are still many older adults falling through the gaps in service for a variety of reasons."
PAR is an all-volunteer transportation service that does not charge participants anything for the rides but Hackney noted that contributions are accepted from riders in order to allow PAR the opportunity to serve as many older adults in Vernon County as possible.
Drivers who wish to volunteer will need to provide three things to participate in the program: Copy of a valid driver's license, proof of insurance and their Social Security number.
"We do background checks on the volunteers," Hackney said. "Anyone wanting to help can come by the Senior Center and pick up an application or they can call me and I'll mail one out to them. I'm at the center from noon until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday."