One of our clients recently asked how they could get transportation to and from medical appointments for their elderly father. Now that the entire family is back to working in the office, they don’t have anyone to go with their dad to his doctor’s appointments. Our clients also specified that they wanted someone who would be able to take their father to the medical appointment, assist him in finding his way around the office/hospital, and then take him home. Here is what we found with a few options specific to Missouri.
If you have an elderly parent or grandparent that can’t drive themselves anymore, and you aren’t able to take them everywhere they need to go then you might need someone else to help with transportation. If you aren’t sure who or how to get help, then this article will give you a couple good places to start. There are a few options available in Missouri. The best place to start when looking for any assistance for an elderly person, is the Area Agencies on Aging. The Area Agencies on Aging exists in every state. There are 10 just in Missouri, so that every county is covered. On Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging website, you can search transportation and it takes you to a page with a few different options to explore, including MoRides, Get a Ride for Vaccines, United Way 2-1-1 Community Services, and Elder Care locator.
The best and most helpful information that I found came from Morides.org. This website allows you to give specific information on what kind of transportation you are looking for. For the specific scenario of an elderly parent or grandparent needing medical appointment transportation, you should indicate that you are looking for senior medical transportation. You would need to specify what county you live in, so you get the best results. Using the parameters of senior medical transportation and Jackson County Missouri, the results included ACC Medlink, Angel Flight Central, Angel MedFlight, Assisted Transportation, Eastern Royal Medical Transportation, Express Medical Transportation Kansas City, LogistiCare, Medical Transportation Management, Secure Medical Transport, and Zipcare Transportation. To find out more information on each provider you just have to click on the link to be taken to their website.
Another option is care.com. This option is helpful if you are looking for a consistent person to hire for transportation and other senior care. This website allows you to give the specifics of what you are looking for and then it will give you a list of caregivers available in your area. On the homepage you can click who you are needing care for, which would be a senior. Then it asks if you need in-home care, senior community living, or not sure yet. If your senior lives at home with you, then click in-home care. There is then a list for what kind of care you need for your senior, including: household tasks, personal care, companionship, transportation, specialized care, and mobility care. Once you click transportation, it will ask you for your zip code to give you caregivers in your area. This is more of an interview the candidate and hire who you like the best rather than a service that is provided by a company. To get access to the list of caregivers you have to sign up for the website, it is free, all you have to do is use your email address.
There are plenty of options that can fit budgets and specific needs. It never hurts to make sure you have all of the information on the people you are trusting with your loved one, so look into every option to know what is right for you and your families needs. Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging has a lot of good resources for any questions you might have about your elderly or disabled loved one, so it is a good place to start when you aren’t sure what options are available. Both Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging and Care.com are also great places to look if you are needing more than transportation care. Find what works best for you and your loved ones.
Sources: https://health.mo.gov/seniors/aaa/transportation.php, Morides.org, care.com
