March 29, 2017
Neighbors Helping Neighbors St. Louis County program provides transportation services to seniors from trusted volunteers
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By Nicholas Elmes For many seniors throughout the St. Louis figuring out transportation to a doctor’s appointment, to the bank or even to just get groceries can be a real issue. Thankfully, a special service called Neighbors Helping Neighbors offered through County Older Resident Programs (CORPS) can provide seniors free transportation services from trusted volunteers, building relationships and making sure seniors do not have to feel trapped in their home. “The aging population has increased. People are living longer, and they want to stay in their homes instead of going to a nursing home,” said CORPS Volunteer Coordinator Robin B. Gillespie. “A lot of seniors may have children who work during the day and cannot get off work to get their parents to these vital appointments.” Other seniors may not have family or friends in the area and have no way to get to needed medical appointments. “The people who come are very nice and polite,” said Elizabeth Hodges, a Florissant senior who has been using the service for about four years. “They are very dependable. I use them up to three times a month to get to doctors and hospitals.” Hodges said that without the service she would have to depend on the kindness of her neighbors. “Sometimes I can get then to help with a ride, but not often,” she said. “Mostly I would have to pay.” Gillespie said the service is mainly used for trips for medical appointments, but that many seniors also use it to help get groceries, to get to the bank or to just get out and socialize with other seniors. “We have volunteer drivers who will do the shopping on behalf of a senior,” she said. “They will go to the senior’s home, get the list of what they need and funds to purchase the items and then go to the grocery store and shop and bring the groceries back. “We also offer a number of socialization opportunities through CORP,” she added. “So the volunteer drivers might take them to the botanical gardens or to the movies for a group socialization. Or they might take the senior to the beauty shop or to the bank.” Gillespie said that socialization is key for an aging population that may have trouble making it out of their homes frequently.
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Photo courtesy St. Louis County CORP customer Elizabeth Hodges of Florissant (left) stands with volunteer driver Pamela McKnought, also of Florissant.
“Some seniors could have thoughts of suicide depending on how bad their situation is,” she said. “CORP hopefully helps with that by getting them out of their house. They are interacting with younger generations in some instances, or with their peer age group. We get written comments from seniors almost daily telling us how appreciative they are of the service.” Neighbors Helping Neighbors is not a simple pick up and drop off service like riding a bus. “It is a door to door service,” said Gillespie. “Our volunteers go to the customer’s door and then actually go into the doctor’s waiting room with them.” And while the service is a clear benefit to seniors in need of transportation, Gillespie said that it is also a real benefit for the volunteers who participate in the program. “It goes beyond the service,” she said. “Some volunteers have developed strong relationships with the seniors they are helping over the years. They become very close in a lot of situations.” Florissant volunteer driver Pamela McNought said she loves getting to interact with the seniors and building relationships with them.
“Everyone at some time needs a helping hand and a friendly face to talk with,” she said. “Driving is a very rewarding experience and a great way to give back. You can drive as often as your schedule permits and the customers are always so appreciative.” “I would encourage anyone and everyone to volunteer with CORP,” agreed Florissant volunteer Ofelia Manalang. “I get this sense of satisfaction that I am doing some service not for myself but for others. There is a great need for the transportation service. I am more aware now that there are people who forgo going to places simply because of the lack of transportation available.” But as rewarding as the volunteer service is, Gillespie said that CORP is always in need of more volunteer drivers. “We serve about 5,000 seniors across the county through all of the CORP services and provide transportation services to about 700 seniors,” she said. “We need many more volunteers.” Volunteers must be 21 years old or older and must supply their own vehicle. Gillespie said that CORP recently completed offering defensive driving courses for over 120 volunteers. See ‘NEIGHBORS’ page 2
Serving North & Northwest St. Louis County | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 96 No. 13 | 636-379-1775
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