The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program began a pilot program several years ago aimed at improving residents’ access to social (non-medical) transportation. Non-medical transportation is a problem identified year after year by the residents at the annual VOICES Forum.  The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, in conjunction with the Eastern CT Agency on Aging, designed this non-medical transportation program to assist nursing home residents in need of social transportation.  This program has been quite successful over the years and we are pleased that we are able to offer it to our residents.

 

 Due to the high costs of transportation the program will have limitations, however, it will provide residents the opportunity to request a ride to a social event or family gathering, without having to worry about the cost.  All requests for service will be reviewed for approval by AAA staff.  Any nursing home resident in the state may request services, regardless of location.  To ensure equity, requests will be evaluated based on an established set of  “priority guidelines” as outlined on the request form.  

 

While this program may not be able to meet the need of every resident, it does facilitate overall access to transportation and supports residents’ fundamental right to remain vital and active members of their communities.  We hope that you will assist your residents by informing them of this program and assisting them as needed to access the program.  For further information and a Non-Medical Transportation Request please contact the Eastern Connecticut Area Agency on Aging (Senior Resources) at 860-887-3561