Seniors advocate urges better help with trips

Transportation for many seniors involves far more than simply getting from point A to B, says a new report from B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie.

In the report called Seniors Transportation: Affordable, Appropriate and Available, Mackenzie notes that about 90 per cent of seniors have a driver’s licence at age 65, but by 85, that drops to about 44 per cent. “So the vast majority of them drive cars. Their transportation needs are no different from yours and mine,” said Mackenzie.

“It’s when you start to look at age 75-plus — between the age of 75 and 85 — we move from the majority of people driving to the majority of people not driving.”

While family and friends can fill many of the gaps, they are a shrinking pool, and not all seniors have family and friends who can get them out and about, Mackenzie said.

She recommends filling the gap with a program called Community Drives that would be administered under the existing home-support program that assists seniors in maintaining their independence.

Along with helping seniors get bathed and dressed, and ensuring they take their medications, the program could schedule someone to pick up the senior and take them to a medical appointment. The program could get up and running quickly because it would tap into existing infrastructure, and it could substantially reduce costs, she said.

The report notes that a round trip outing on Translink’s HandyDART costs the province about $80, while an hour of home support can cost less than $38.

“None of the options we currently have allow for the fact that the person needs someone to accompany them. That’s why we’ve recommended expanding the home-support program,” she said.

The existing system doesn’t make it easy for frail or cognitively challenged seniors to use transit, she said, especially if they are attempting to navigate a transit system they might not have used in 60 or 70 years.

Many seniors might have the physical ability to take a bus or use HandyDART, but they have cognitive challenges that require someone to accompany them, or their frailty requires someone to assist them throughout their trip.

None of the current programs provide for these needs, and even with recommended improvements, the report notes they will continue to fall short.

Among the report’s recommendations:

• Local governments should support pedestrian-friendly communities with wide, well-maintained sidewalks; curb ramps at intersections; longer pedestrian crossing times at intersections; and sufficient public restrooms and benches.

• People who volunteer to drive their family members, friends or neighbours to medical appointments should receive tax deductions, just as people who use their vehicles for business do.

• Investigate creating a “seniors’ bus-buddy” program to help seniors transition to using public transit to start them off the right way. The program might connect seniors with volunteers who could ride with them the first few times and ensure they have numbers to call if there are problems. It also recommends the province increase the number of benches at bus stops, and create an annual seniors’ bus pass based on income.

• The government should coordinate with ICBC to identify seniors who have surrendered their licences and ensure they are connected to community and transportation services and resources

The report points out that the B.C. bus pass is not considered valid payment for HandyDART.

“This creates the strange situation where seniors are penalized for becoming too frail to take public transit,” it says.