Steering Through Change: Offering Seniors a Lifeline When Independence Fades
By Tracy Elway, Free Rides for Seniors Coordinator
Imagine finding yourself lost in a bustling foreign city. You are desperately trying to make sense of your surroundings. You’ve learned some of the language, but everyone speaks so fast that you can’t keep up. It is incredibly difficult to process the information coming at you. You wish someone would slow down, look you in the eye, and take the time to truly communicate with you. Imagine that feeling in your hometown.
Your years of experience have brought many positive qualities. Retirement offers more time for enjoyable hobbies, wisdom enhances your experiences, and you have a strong sense of confidence and resilience. At the same time, as the years pass, the world around you seems to speed up. Technology advances as your physical abilities begin to decline. Good vision, strength, and balance were blessings you feel slipping away. One day, you are 92 years of age and are sitting face to face with your physician, who shares the difficult news that you no longer have the capabilities to operate a vehicle safely. For some with significant health issues, this day may even come much sooner. Without nearby family, a limited income, or familiarity with Uber and apps, you start to mourn your independence and worry about how you'll manage. Betty, a new Free Rides for Seniors shuttle rider, found herself feeling this way. The grief and anxiety are overwhelming, but her self-determination is amazing.
Working with older adults, coordinating the Free Rides for Seniors program provides a unique perspective. Many of the programs at North Hills Community Outreach aim to help individuals reach self-sufficiency. Many of the older adults we serve have lived independently for decades. As they share their feelings of dependency and lost freedom, we listen, reassure them they are heard, and support their independence as much as possible. Betty will be able to continue her weekly grocery runs on the shuttle that serves her area two times a week. It may not erase the sting of losing her own set of wheels but relieves her fear of being stranded and unable to get to food and medical treatments. Being there for people as they age and face new challenges is incredibly rewarding, especially when they are in great need, sometimes for the first time