Special Taxi Service Helps Seniors Age in Place

The products just keep coming. As more and more older people choose to keep living in their own home, gadgets and services keep  popping up to help out. The Washington Post covers a few examples in a recent article, including SilverRide, a taxi-like service for seniors in San Francisco who don’t want to (or can’t) drive themselves. The Post reports:

With 70,000 trips so far, clients have ordered SilverRide to go to the grocery store, to visit the opera, even to go on a one-Walgreens-after-another search for discounted Elmer’s glue (to each his own). The price is tailored to the nature and length of each trip.

The service has proved so popular that [owner Jeff] Maltz is expanding nationally. “Demography is destiny,” he said, “and we have a massive older population.”

The article suggests that one of the service’s goals is to help their clients, who may be living alone and not able to get out much, get in some socializing time.

Of course, SilverRide isn’t the only organization to offer transportation services for seniors. We talked about a few other options in these previous posts:

• Senior Centers Offering Rides to Doctor’s Appointments
• Rides for Seniors: How Your Parents Can Remain Mobile When the Car Keys Are Taken Away

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in health and aging issues. She covers finding and paying for senior care for OurParents. If you have any questions about this post or need help finding senior care options for a loved one, call 1-866-483-4896 to speak with a care advisor in your area.