A transportation program for older adults needs to be reliable, affordable and – most of all – make the rider feel safe and comfortable.
The Senior Rides program that Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey (JFSNJ) created through its age-friendly project grant checked all those boxes, and more.
The personalized ride service also created a pathway for this nonprofit agency serving Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties to connect the older adults it serves to other needed resources and social connections that support aging in place.
“The impact that a lack of transportation can have on someone’s life is heartbreaking,” said Carly Schaffer, a geriatric case manager at the Jewish Federation’s Jewish Family & Children’s Service, who coordinates the newly expanded transportation program. “The people that find out about this program and try it once, it’s life-changing for them. Before they were essentially homebound, and now they are regularly going to the Katz JCC for adult classes or to a show. They are happier.”
The Senior Rides program employs a “companion driver” model of transportation through a contract with Envoy America, a specialized transportation service tailored to older adults, medical patients, and individuals with mobility or cognitive challenges.
The driver meets them at the door, escorts them in and out of the vehicle and can even wait a couple of hours until the rider’s medical appointment, exercise class or social engagement is over.
“It’s a door-through-door program,” said Ilana Weiss, JFSNJ grants coordinator. “If the driver takes the older adult to the grocery store, they will wait outside or accompany the rider into the store if that’s requested.”
Having that type of escort is a benefit that many of the 500 people enrolled in the program didn’t think they needed until they tried the service and immediately saw the value, particularly those who use canes or walkers, Weiss said.
“They love that extra support – having someone help them in and out of car and put their walker in the trunk,” she added of the 120 active users.
All drivers are backgrounded and fingerprinted and receive special training in assisting people with mobility challenges or those who use wheelchairs or walkers.
All seniors enrolled in the Senior Rides program participate in an intake
interview with Schaffer, who assesses whether they need other supportive services and makes referrals for those who do.
Senior transportation programs are very limited in the three counties JFSNJ serves. Shaffer said many of her clients find paratransit or other senior bus programs in the region cumbersome to use because reservations must be made so far in advance or there are sometimes long travel and wait times.
Reservations for this new program can be made by phone, although online reservations are also an option for those comfortable with the technology or for family members or caregivers who want to book on behalf of a senior.
Unlike other senior transportation programs, which often limit rides to within a particular town or county borders, this one take riders as far as 20 miles away from their initial starting point.
The state grant allows JFSNJ to subsidize up to 75 percent of the cost of two-hour ride reservation, which typically costs about $50. The senior rider pays the rest of the cost.
In all, JFSNJ was able to provide a total of 2,322 rides during the grant period.
Before receiving the state grant, the federation had a pilot version of the program but the funder supporting it required the subsidized rides only be given to members of the Jewish community. Having the state funds enabled the Senior Rides program to expand to people of all religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, a service the agency would like to continue providing.
JFSNJ serves more than 1,000 older adults in the three-county region. Some are clients of its Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) agency, which provides Older Adult Case Management services, counseling services, Kosher home-delivered meals, and other services. The Federation also operates an adult day program, an Older Adults Resource Connections hotline and the Katz Jewish Community Center with a variety of social, exercise and supportive programs for older adults.
Now that the state grant period has ended, JFSNJ intends to use the data it collected about its clients’ transportation needs and patterns to secure continued funding from a private or corporate foundation or other government source.
“There are not a lot of affordable transportation options for seniors in this area so we would really like to see this program continue,” Weiss said.