There is a freedom and independence many of us to take for granted that comes with being able to grab your car keys, jump in your car and drive to wherever you want or need to be. Unfortunately, the older we get the more difficult it becomes to stay behind the wheel for a variety of reasons, but largely due to declining eyesight, hearing and reaction times.
How does this loss of independence effect the senior population?
A recent article featured in The Boston Globe titled, “Off the road,” discussed both the physical and emotional effects that result when an elder is no longer able to drive. Sadly, the article explains that “there is an increased risk of depression, isolation, and even, studies suggest, of ending up in assisted living.” Some studies, most notably by geriatrician Richard Marottoli, an associate professor of medicine at Yale University Medical School, have found an increase in depression and a drop in out-of-home activity levels among older adults after they surrender their license.
This begs the question.……what next? Considering what these studies have shown, what alternatives are available for these seniors?
As Boomers face the driving dilemma with their parents and as they get closer to dealing with this issue themselves, there is a growing need to develop more comprehensive transportation alternatives that will allow seniors to retain some of their independence and allow them to remain engaged outside of the home.
Elinor Ginzler, the AARP’s senior vice president of the livable communities initiative, says that despite the impeding number of aging drivers (roughly one in four will be 65 or older by 2025), “many local, regional, and state agencies are failing to include alternatives to automobiles in their planning.”
A ray of hope: the article featured a fantastic service called Independent Transportation network, a 24-hour driving service run by volunteers which allows seniors who surrender their car to the network to receive the equivalent of the vehicle’s value in free rides. Or you can simply join without the trade in and pay by-the-ride (which is about half the cost of a cab fare for the same route). In the 14 years since it started, the group has organized 280,000 rides nationally. Founded in Maine, the program has now spread to communities in 10 other states.
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