Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/68789
working for you T Keeping Seniors Mobile Calgary's volunteer drivers help local seniors get around town by Patty Milligan WELVE YEARS AGO, ROY PONTE retired from a 28-year career with Motorola. Since then he's made more than 1,500 trips to hospi- tals, medical clinics, dentist's offices, eye doctors and blood labs. And he's enjoyed every minute of it. Ponte is a volunteer driver with the Cal- gary Seniors' Resource Society (CSRS) Escorted Transportation Program (ETP) – one of 50 drivers who provided a combined total of 1,571 round trips for the society's nearly 700 clients last year. But Ponte does more than just drive his cli- ents. He greets them warmly and walks them to and from their doors. He puts on music they like and chats amiably while shuttling them from point A to B and back again. "I like to get them talking," he says. "Many are repeat clients and by now we have a personal connection." Ponte remembers a favourite passenger who was 102 and still lived in her own home. "She was amazing, so sharp. She loved sports and wanted to talk golf and football." Around half of his clients still live at home and half reside in seniors' apartments or lodges. Most are mobility-limited, having voluntarily given up their drivers' licences. The CSRS established its ride program 17 years ago to help seniors in just this kind of predicament. "We are the last resort and seniors are often desperate for help by the time they get to us," says Annastasia Sommer- Stevens, CSRS community relations and vol- unteer services manager. Seniors can register with the ETP for free. Then, when they know they'll need to go grocery shopping, run an errand, visit the doctor, attend a social function – whatever they need to do – they call two weeks in advance to book a lift. The coordinator puts the request into a scheduling system and email updates go out to the volunteer drivers, who log into a website and, as Ponte puts it, "fi ll their dance cards." Seniors pay $10 per round trip. Drivers get gas cards. They also receive training that's provided Roy Ponte VOLUNTEER DRIVER Roy Ponte gives Calgary resident Anna Hendricks a lift as part of an escorted ride program for seniors. in partnership with AMA. Many of the drivers are retirees who have experience with elderly parents, notes Sommer-Stevens. It's a system that works, and one that AMA is hoping may serve as a model for other Alberta communities, particularly rural ones where non-driving seniors are essentially stranded, without access to public transportation (or, in some cases, even taxi or private bus services). "We know that social interaction later in life promotes good health, but many Alberta seniors are isolated by a lack of mobility," says Caroline Gee, AMA program coordinator for aging drivers. "We're developing strategies to meet the mobility needs of seniors in both rural and urban communities." Meanwhile, programs like the ETP, and dedicated volunteers like Ponte, are helping seniors conquer their mobility limitations. Ponte has won several awards for his work, including a Minister's Seniors Service Award in 2010. He has also been recognized as an AMA Driving Angel. While he admits he's pleased by the recognition, he says it isn't the only reward. As his dad always told him, "You get out of this life what you put into it." And Ponte is paying it forward: "I'm a senior myself. Someday I'm going to need a ride, too." Applauding All Angels AMA gives halos where halos are due. Through the organization's Driving Angels program, communi- ties can formally thank good Samaritans who go out of their way to give seniors a lift. "Whether a volunteer, neighbour, cabbie or bus driver, these individ- uals deserve recognition," says Caroline Gee, AMA program coor- dinator for aging drivers. "Seniors who are mobile have a higher level of well-being." Communities nominate Driving Angels, who receive a pin and cer- tifi cate. The recognition helps recruit more drivers, says Gee. For more information, contact Caroline Gee at 780-430-4856 or caroline.gee@ama.ab.ca. LEARN MORE ONLINE Want to become a volunteer driver? Visit ama.ab.ca/AgingDrivers for a list of alternative transportation ser- vices in Alberta. WESTWORLD >> JUNE 2012 55