Senior Transportation

The modern-day family or personal use cars are not designed to meet the special needs for senior transportation. In fact, even with the most spacious of the cars, the specifically required seating arrangements are not met. According to The Profile for older Americans, the population of elderlies (age 65years or above) will be doubled by the year 2030. This means that by the year 2030 the population of the elderly is expected to be around a 70million in the United States only. This shift in the demographic pyramid raises serious concern for the Transport manufacturers as well as consumers to come up with solutions to elderly driving situations.

Why Do The Elderly Need Special Transportation?

As ageing progresses, the physical and mental insufficiencies begin to kick in. A perfectly well trained and experienced driver slowly becomes clumsier through no fault of his own. Some of the frequently experienced physical and mental limitations are as follows:

Safety Concerns For All:

Decreased navigation abilities such as forgetting the routes etc.
The lower grip on the steering wheel can confuse brakes with race in panic situations etc.
Unclear vision particularly night visions
Uncontrolled B.P, sugar, and bladder control etc.
Short term memory loss
Parkinson’s patients cannot hold their limbs still
Loss of fine motor skills etc.

Maintenance Of Mobility:

Doctors and health professionals all over the world unanimously favour outdoor visits and activities for seniors. In fact, mobility is one of the primary functions of existence. It is essential for the mental and physical health of the elderly to establish a social life. Staying put in one place for weeks and months can induce depression, anxiety and feelings of loneliness. In addition, more often than never the doctors recommend the elderly to have a routine of guided physical activities. Mobility helps in achieving active ageing. Insufficient mobility can lead to conditions like muscular dystrophy, obesity, and uncontrolled BP etc.

Need For Independence And Self-Sufficiency:

The family members of a senior esp. that of a mentally or physically challenged senior usually bears a lot of responsibilities. More responsibilities can lead to more stress. The doctor-advised mobility schedule can put a toll on the caretaker alone.

To overcome these situations, senior transportation can provide a great deal of respite and relief. Such services not only help the patients but their families too.

The Criterion To Hire Senior Transport:

Hiring a patient suitable transport service depends on many factors. Usually, the care homes also provide the service of to-and-fro- from the care home. These services are usually centred around a patient’s special needs. Some of the important factors to be considered while hiring are as follows:

Availability of service during the required hours
Eligibility for the patient’s needs. for example, if the service has specially designed chair lifters etc.
Availability of the service in the desired area.
The nature of service should also be discussed before booking. For example, if the service is door to door, pick/drop only, curb to curb etc.
If the service accommodates wheelchairs, I/V line stands, vital sign monitor, space for carrying walkers etc.
Charges and cost of services esp. in regards to client’s frequent outdoor visits.
If the driver is trained to carry out necessary CPR, BP and sugar monitoring etc.

Special Features Required For Senior Transport Vehicles:

To fulfil the special needs, transport companies are required to make necessary amends and additions to their vehicles. Some of these essential features are as follows:

Assistive Bars and Straps:

Small U shaped or L shaped bars are fixed on the doors of the passenger seats. They are strong enough to carry the pressure of a leaning body.

Assistive straps or transfer straps are made of strong fabric to help the senior slide in and out of the seat. These straps are not fixed to one side of the door. They can also be removed and attached to other desired places as well.

Valet Seats:

These seats can be moved such that they can be pushed and pulled in and out of the car. Usually, elderlies with memory loss, or impaired cognitive functions find it difficult to even navigate their way through a car door. Also, physical impairment can also render the senior unable to bend and squeeze down in the car. Therefore, turn-able seats are implanted to assist in sitting in and out of the car without damaging the patient’s health. They are especially useful for patients who require wheelchairs in their travel cars.

Ramps And Wedges:

Wedges or ramps are removable diagonal platforms. These are aimed at joining directly to the car floor. Since the car floor is a little higher off the ground, therefore, such platforms are used for hoping in the car.

These platforms are particularly useful for entirely wheelchair-dependent patients. Lifting a patient sitting in a wheelchair is not a one-person job. In fact, it is a highly dangerous feat too. Therefore, senior transportation services have such special ramps to help in carrying the patient in and out of the car.

Appropriate Space:

Apt. space is an idea frequently ignored while considering senior transportation. For example, an elderly with a tendency of edematous limbs are required to keep their legs straight at all times. If due to some reason their legs are left in a sitting posture for a few minutes to hours, then their ankles, feet and calf muscles can become swollen. This can cause a number of serious side effects.

Therefore, senior transportation services must keep vehicles where there is optimum space for straightening the legs in horizontal directions.