Each year, 600,000 U.S. adults have to stop driving, while many others have to change their driving habits. With Utah’s growing older adult population, that means the need for transportation options is increasing too.
On an overcast July morning, Carolyn Taylor is preparing for a doctor's appointment she has scheduled that day.
The small, 71-year-old lives in Salt Lake City’s Glendale neighborhood and walks with a cane.
She had knee surgery last year and has frequent appointments. She needs a ride to and from each and every one of them.
On this day, she’s recruited one of her two kids who live nearby to drive her.
“My son, he teaches, so right now he can take me around here during the summertime like this. But it's going to be harder doing that when he goes back to work for me to find other rides,” Taylor explained.
Taylor doesn’t currently drive, in fact — she never has.
“When I was a child, we didn't have a car in the family, so I didn't really have one around,” said Taylor.
“We were out in [Salt Lake’s] Central City, so we either walked to places or we took the bus. But we did that when I was younger. And then I used to ride my bicycle around a lot too.”
That’s why Taylor relies heavily on Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services’ Rides for Wellness program. It provides transportation for adults 60 and older to vital medical appointments. Though payment isn’t required for the rides, a $2 voluntary donation is asked of clients using the service.
Getting that ride, however, takes a bit of planning.
“It used to be, you’d call a week in advance and get it,” Taylor said. “But now it's two weeks in advance, and I've called like two weeks in advance and if they're filled up, they put you on a waiting list.”
Her medical appointments can vary from once to twice a week. But in some cases, a doctor may need to schedule a visit on short notice.
She said there have been instances where she had to cancel an appointment because she didn’t have enough time to get a ride.
“I just have to try to find somebody else to see if they can take some time to help me out,” Taylor said. “But it's not like there's much time. It's like the last minute when I find out if I have a ride or not.”
“If it had been like a surgery follow-up or something like that where I had to be to the appointment and I didn't get a ride, that’s something I'd be afraid of.”
According to U.S. Aging, about 600,000 adults across the country stop driving each year. Others may have to change their driving habits. But the need to move around doesn't go away.
With a growing number of older adults in the state, the demand for transportation assistance is going up.
Data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute projects the number of Utahns ages 65 and older will make up nearly a quarter of the population by the year 2060.
“As the county grows and as the state grows, our senior population grows with it,” said Russell Stoddard, section manager at Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services and overseer of Rides for Wellness. “Yes, we are absolutely experiencing more people calling in for prescheduled rides to their medical appointments.”
They have about 40 drivers, including paid employees and volunteers who transport older adults to medical appointments. When those vehicles reach capacity, they can also deploy services for supplemental vendors like Ute Cab and Metro Medical Transportation.
Stoddard said they try to avoid turning people down for rides "as much as possible," but in the event of limited capacity, they have a waiting list. One of the biggest hurdles they face is making sure they have enough drivers.
“So right now we're close to keeping up. We do have turndowns from time to time. Some weeks are busier than others.”
Utah Transit Authority runs a similar program called Coordinated Mobility. It works with government agencies in Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties to bridge the gap in transportation for older adults and those with disabilities.
It uses funding from the Federal Transit Administration's Section 5310 program.
But program manager Christy Allen said more needs to be done in rural Utah.
“They have vast expanses to travel. Right, you're in Richfield, say, for instance, but you have to get to Utah County because that's where the big hospital is.”
UTA has had some success with a voucher program that reimburses private vehicles for mileage.
“In the rural areas, we do find voucher programs are very successful. That person can take those vouchers and go ask a neighbor or a relative to get them to a medical appointment or maybe to get groceries, whatever those quality of life services are,” said Allen.
Older adults in Northern Utah may also find UTA’s On Demand service useful.
“It isn't door to door but it comes close, and within a service area, seniors can use it for shopping, doctor appointments, etc.,” UTA spokesperson Carl Arky said.
Neither On Demand nor UTA’s Paratransit program are exclusively for aging adults, but both may serve older adults who need to get around and have limited options.
As for Taylor, she’s grateful for Rides for Wellness — getting to her appointments is her top priority. More flexibility to book a ride would be nice in a dire situation though. She’d also like more options to attend local events so she's not isolated inside her home.
“Like the different arts festivals and things like that, you might be able to take a bus to it or whatever, but you know, we used to like doing those kinds of things, and I can’t do it because there’s no way for me to get there,” said Taylor.
After all — she’s more than just a patient, she is a part of the community.
