Chris Treftlin – Shine at Home
My sainted Aunt gets around town very nicely thanks to our local transit system. It s not unusual for me to see her at one end of town or another on one of her outings. I will stop and ask her if she wants a ride. Sometimes she takes me up on my offer, sometimes she doesn’t. It depends on how many shopping bags she is dealing with. You see this is part of her independence.
Simple reliable forms of transportation exist for people that allow them to maintain and enhance their transportation needs, and by doing so maintain and enhance their independence. This article will outline those options for you.
Sarnia Transit works very well, as I described at the beginning of the article, for many people. Always running during operating hours, the drivers are very helpful, and when you are a regular user, you get to know the bus drivers and they get to know you. Your homework is to get to know which routes and times work for you. Fares, and ways to make the cost manageable are all on the website. For accessibility concerns Sarnia Transit has fully outfitted vehicles and has the trained staff to assist. Much more information is on their site.
www.sarnia.ca/living-here/getting-around/sarnia-transit
Lambton Elderly Outreach (L.E.O) has been operating it’s transportation program for a long time. It has proven to be an invaluable service to the community. From the earliest days of L.E.O. until now their commitment to the individual user has been impressive. There are intake, qualification and rules to get started, and again accessibility is a particular focus for L.E.O. All of this can be found on:
www.sarnia.ca/living-here/getting-around/sarnia-transit
The Red Cross
You have seen them around town. The red and white mid-size minivans that have a lift attached. These vehicles scoot around town getting people here and there. Again, a call is in order to determine qualifications, but once that hurdle is overcome you will be able to go door-to door in comfort and the knowledge that you are in the hands of a qualified driver.
www.redcross.ca/in-your-community/ontario/ontario-find-a-branch/sarnia-lambton-branch
These are three that will get you where you need to be and back again in our community. They are established and proven options that work for their clients. There are a couple of others that can be an option. If you are good with technology a.k.a. cell phones then any of the ride share organizations could be just the ticket. Further, some of these companies will allow you to carry a balance; that is let you operate on and account. I recently read that one of the biggest ride share groups had modified the cell phone application with bigger text and ease of use features. Just look up Uber if this is an option for you.
I will touch base briefly on taxi services. Well known and there are some great drivers that care about their customers. I know this because my aunt that I spoke of earlier uses them. Again, this would be a discussion with them to work out the details.
The last option that I will outline has a more limited application, but it works well for those that can avail themselves of it. Companies that provide homecare services like Shine at Home can have their team member drive the client’s vehicle. We have had clients that cannot drive themselves to a medical appointment for whatever reason. With client/family and insurance company approval we book the client into a scheduled visit and we do all of the driving. An extra bonus here is our staff makes sure the client arrives and returned home safe and sound. This is true door-to-door service.
As I have shared in all the Path to Wellness articles, creative and good solutions exist for people who want to maintain and enhance independence. When it comes to transportation needs whether it is groceries, errands, medical appointments, or whatever, you can be just as independent as you were before. Few things put a smile on my face as much as when I see my aunt at the bus stop, then I ask her if she wants a ride and she says “No, I am ok just going to see where this bus goes.”
