Seniors - Mobility to enable Independent Living
Access to Medical & Support Services
Retiring from Driving (Way2Go)
Car Fit (Way2Go)
Volunteer Driver Programs
Retiring from Driving (Way2Go)
Car Fit (Way2Go)
Volunteer Driver Programs
Access to Medical & Support Services:
Long Term Health Care Needs Assessment - 2009
Prepared by the Health Planning Council, a program of the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, Ithaca, NY.
Transportation was the top unmet need identified in the 2008 Long Term Care (LTC) survey. Seniors identified transportation for medical appointments, including trips outside Tompkins County, as a high priority unmet need.
In 2008, Gadabout provided 63,809 one-way trips. An estimated 40% of these are for medical reasons. Other mobility services include paraprofessional transportation, taxis, TCAT bus service, FISH and other volunteer driver programs, and some faith communities. Medicaid will pay the cost of transportation to medical appointments for eligible persons. However, there are significant gaps in transportation services necessary to make the Most Integrated Setting goal feasible, particularly for rural residents.
Coordinated Plan and Mobility Management
Transportation gaps are best addressed through collaborative planning among stakeholders. The Federal government requires a Coordinated Public Transit- Human Services Transportation Plan before spending certain federal transportation funds. Many counties have used the Coordinated Plan process to address Long Term Care (LTC) and other senior transportation needs. Mobility management guides public investment in programs and projects. Coordinated transportation planning and mobility management can be used to develop new solutions for LTC transportation.
Support Older Drivers
Support Health Care Givers
· Target education outreach on transportation alternatives to health care workers.
· Identify health care workers as a market for transportation supports and new services.
Support Volunteer Driver Transportation Programs
· Invest in trip reservation and management tools to support volunteer driver services.
· Develop paid volunteer driver programs with reasonable mileage reimbursement as an incentive to increase supply of drivers and vehicles for intra-county and out-of-county trips.
· Create task force to evaluate best practices for organizing and operating volunteer driver programs (including ITN America).
Invest in Coordinated Services
Increase Accessibility
Dwight Mengel & Cynthia Kloppel, Tompkins County DSS 12/4/2009
Long Term Health Care Needs Assessment - 2009
Transportation was the top unmet need identified in the 2008 Long Term Care (LTC) survey. Seniors identified transportation for medical appointments, including trips outside Tompkins County, as a high priority unmet need.
In 2008, Gadabout provided 63,809 one-way trips. An estimated 40% of these are for medical reasons. Other mobility services include paraprofessional transportation, taxis, TCAT bus service, FISH and other volunteer driver programs, and some faith communities. Medicaid will pay the cost of transportation to medical appointments for eligible persons. However, there are significant gaps in transportation services necessary to make the Most Integrated Setting goal feasible, particularly for rural residents.
Coordinated Plan and Mobility Management
Transportation gaps are best addressed through collaborative planning among stakeholders. The Federal government requires a Coordinated Public Transit- Human Services Transportation Plan before spending certain federal transportation funds. Many counties have used the Coordinated Plan process to address Long Term Care (LTC) and other senior transportation needs. Mobility management guides public investment in programs and projects. Coordinated transportation planning and mobility management can be used to develop new solutions for LTC transportation.
Support Older Drivers
- Add driver education to strengthen skills of older drivers.
- Transitioning from driver to passenger – assess skills and provide counseling on alternatives.
Support Health Care Givers
· Target education outreach on transportation alternatives to health care workers.
· Identify health care workers as a market for transportation supports and new services.
Support Volunteer Driver Transportation Programs
· Invest in trip reservation and management tools to support volunteer driver services.
· Develop paid volunteer driver programs with reasonable mileage reimbursement as an incentive to increase supply of drivers and vehicles for intra-county and out-of-county trips.
· Create task force to evaluate best practices for organizing and operating volunteer driver programs (including ITN America).
Invest in Coordinated Services
- Invest in information technology for GADABOUT, taxi and other operators to schedule trip requests and manage operations, and broker rides.
- Create a single call center for customers to schedule trip requests.
- Invest in fuel efficient paratransit buses for GADABOUT.
- Increase number of wheel chair accessible vehicles (e.g. taxis) available to the public on a 24/7 basis.
Increase Accessibility
- Increase availability of information and public education and outreach for all mobility alternatives through the County’s Way2Go program.
- Create a network of travel trainers among agencies to support individuals learning to use transportation services.
- Support adding sidewalk and bicycle networks in existing communities and in future liveable community development.
Dwight Mengel & Cynthia Kloppel, Tompkins County DSS 12/4/2009
Long Term Health Care Needs Assessment - 2009