Salinas : Senior Citizens Receiving Less Transit Options : View From A Private Duty Caregive

Salinas : Senior Citizens Receiving Less Transit Options : View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gilroy, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas & Seaside, California
An article in the Senior Section of the Monterey Herald on June 27 highlighted what I have been writing about on my blog for some time. Many of the elderly feel isolated after they lose the ability to drive and become home bound. In Monterey County, it's often difficult for seniors to even make it to a bus stop as routes are few and far between. And as the previously mentioned blog posting mentioned, because of budget cuts, the Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) service recently announced that a rebound in the economy that would have boosted revenues has not appeared. Therefore, it's had to cut services, including Line 43 to and from Salinas and Salinas-Valley Memorial Hospital and Line 46, which goes to and from Salinas and Natividad Hospital. The Monterey Herald article said that a study released by a firm called Transportation for America entitled "Aging in Place, Stuck Without Options" found that 15.5 million people aged 65 or older will live in communities with poor or no public transit by 2015. The report focused on the huge number of baby boomers starting to retire,, and the fact that many live in the suburbs, commuting to work. "The baby boom generation grew up and reared their own children in communities that, for the first time in human history, were built on the assumption that everyone would be able to drive an automobile," John Robert Smith, co-chairman of Transportation for America, wrote in the report. "What happens when people in the largest generation ever, with the longest predicted life span ever, outlive their ability to drive for everything?" My company, Family inHome Caregiving, provides private duty caregiving services for seniors all over Monterey county, and witnesses this on a daily basis. Many have lived in their home for decades (one for almost 90 years) and don't want to move into a senior community or nursing home. We provide them with services like meal preparation and transportation to enable them to remain independent. Not everyone can afford this type of service, however, and it's sad to see that some seniors are left with few options for getting around.

http://www.montereyherald.com/rss/ci_18360311

http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=carmel-california-senior-services-cut

About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
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