What to Include in a Transportation Plan for an Older Parent's Appointments

A transportation plan is a short document: every trip your parent makes in a normal week, how each one will happen, and who to call when the plan falls through. Families usually build one only after a missed appointment. Building it before makes the first missed ride less of a crisis.

The advice here draws mostly on the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC), Medicare.gov and Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC).

Start by listing the trips

NADTC's guidance for families is to “list the activities the care recipient is involved in such as social activities, shopping trips, hair appointments, church and medical appointments,” including “recurring activities as well as unique trips.”

Then consider an alternative ride for each one. NADTC points out that not every trip suits a substitute driver: “not every activity may be suitable for someone else to provide transportation, such as medical appointments where a caregiver's presence may be necessary.”

Know what your parent needs from a ride

NADTC lists questions that identify where a trip might go wrong. Answer them honestly, because they decide which options are realistic.

Learn the options

The NIA says that “various state and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and companies offer transportation services for older adults,” that some senior housing complexes and community groups offer rides, and that public transit agencies often have discounted fares for older adults and people with disabilities. It adds that if needed, “you can request a vehicle that will accommodate a wheelchair, walker, or electric scooter.”

What Medicare and Medicaid cover

The NIA says that “Medicare provides transportation via ambulance for health care emergencies and limited nonemergencies (such as a ride to a dialysis facility),” and that Medicaid provides transportation “for emergency medical care and for doctor's appointments” for people without a ride. Medicare.gov notes that some Medicare Advantage plans “may also cover things like rides to doctor visits,” and that these benefits “are generally limited, so check with the plan.”

In Texas, HHSC says its Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program covers rides to a doctor's office, dentist, hospital, drug store or other place that provides covered health care services, for people enrolled in Medicaid and certain other programs who do not have another means of transportation. HHSC says services “don't include emergency or nonemergency transportation by ambulance,” and that to request a ride you should “call at least two workdays before your appointment, or five days before the appointment if it's outside your county.”

Finding what exists near you

NADTC is candid that “every community has a unique system for providing transportation,” and “there is seldom one simple number to call.” These are the places to start:

• Eldercare Locator, a public service of the Administration for Community Living, at 800-677-1116. The NIA says it can help find in-home help and transportation in your area.
• Your Area Agency on Aging or Aging and Disability Resource Center. NADTC says these can connect you with local transportation options, including services for people who need extra support.
• 2-1-1. NADTC says to call 2-1-1 or enter your zip code on its website to access local transportation information.
• Your local transit agency, for fares, accessibility and paratransit applications.

Write the plan down

NADTC suggests recording each option: “the provider's name, location and phone number; type of service; when and where they operate; how to schedule the ride; cost and the type of assistance they offer.” It also notes that rides typically need to be scheduled 24 to 48 hours in advance.

Test it and adjust

NADTC's last step is the one families skip: “Evaluate each trip and take notes on what worked and what did not.” Its example is a bus that did not work for grocery shopping because the bags were hard to carry afterward, but that could work to get to a social event.

Where Lilly's fits

Lilly's transportation and errands is non-medical help getting to appointments, grocery shopping and completing everyday errands. Caregivers do not provide medical treatment. If a trip needs a caregiver's company, or the grid shows a recurring gap, our guide to building a weekly care plan helps you map it out.