Strategic Workgroups

Transportation

Workgroup leader:

Bruce Jablonski, PeopleCare

Goal

This workgroup will focus on creating additional transportation options and coordinating existing programs that serve residents in the community. Participants will begin work on the creation and distribution of a transportation guide that will provide options, locations, phone numbers and usage guidelines.

The Transportation workgroup collected a list of all available transportation options for older adults in the greater Lyons Township area as well as their service areas, hours of operation and costs of service. Workgroup members created a transportation guide listing these options and printed 10,000 copies. The workgroup, along with Aging Well partners and Community Action Teams, have distributed nearly all of the 10,000 copies of the guide. Assisted by volunteers from the Aging Care Connections (formerly Southwest Suburban Center on Aging), the group has updated the information in the guide and plans to reprint and redistribute a revised and updated version of the Transportation Guide this year. A Spanish-language version of this guide will also be created and distributed.

Workgroup members found that there were more community transportation services available than they had expected, and that efforts should focus on assisting others to use the existing transportation services. Members of the Transportation workgroup have identified the need to work with people on the transition from driving to using the transportation options outlined in the Aging Well Transportation Guide. Workgroup members have developed a training program that will assist older adults in determining if they should be driving, discuss transitioning from driving to using public transportation and develop their own personal transportation plan.

After the successful collaboration between The British Home and PeopleCare to provide shopping transportation, the workgroup will also explore other similar collaborations to increase transportation options

Accomplishments

• Developed an Aging Well Transportation Guide showing the service area, costs of service and hours of operation for all transportation options for older adults in greater Lyons Township
• Distributed nearly 10,000 copies of the transportation guide throughout the community
• Developed a discussion-based transportation program to promote safe driving and assist older adults in the transition from driving to using alternative transportation options

Strategic
Workgroups

Central Access Point

Community Outreach

Direct Care Worker Employer

Isolated Older Adults

Planning for the Future

Transportation