I live alone, and only one living relative. I am looking for a service that will provide a person to go with me in a Share a ride Programs (STS) here in Miami, FLorida to and from my doctors appointment and be with me during the doctor's appointment, and then return with me via the STS Share a ride program. They need to come to my home 15 minutes before my scheduled ride pickup, come inside, and then then go with me to and from my Doctor's appointment, and since they are accompanying me, they will pay nothing for the STS share a ride both ways. This could take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours of total time, not counting the time to go back and forth from their home to my home, and then back to their home in their own car. This could be from 1 to 3 times a week to different doctors location in the Miami Dade County area. STS usually picks up the person between right on my pre-scheduled time, to as more as 1 hour late, and the same with the return ride. So for example, if I have a Doctor's appointment at 10 am, STS will pick me up at a time that their system believes that I need to be picked up at my home to get to the appointment about 30 minutes before my scheduled time. I then tell STS at what time to pick me up from the 10 am Doctors appointment to get back home, and that may be at 12 pm noon. STS usually picks me up within 1 hour of my scheduled go back home pickup time, but we may spend up to 2 or more hours in the STS car, since there could be up to 2 more people using the STS share a ride in the same car as we are in, so they drop off people based upon the my route back home, and if they are in a location before my home, they will be dropped off before me, until I am next on the drop off list. After I am dropped off, my assisted care rider can go home immediately after I am at my home residence. Are there any free or very low costs doing this by local, county, or State sponsored agencies or non-for-profit agencies that will do this? I know my Doctors appointments and times 7 to 10 days before the appointment.
I never have more than one doctors appointment a day, but some doctors are 15 miles away from my home residence, and other share a ride people are picked up and or dropped off on the way to my appointment, and the same going home back from my appointment.
So, for instance, if I have a 10 am appointment time, STS may tell me that my pickup time is between 8 and 8:30 am to be there on time. Then back home, I choose the pickup time, lets say it is 12 noon. Again STS will usually pick me up by 12:30 pm, and with other riders in the same care that are picked up and dropped off, I may not get home until 2:30 pm or even later, based upon traffic and how many other people are in route to my home, and will be dropped off or picked up while we are going back to my home residence.
I thank anyone for their input. Taz0921 or Stanley Z.
My question is, do you need all these doctors. Are you stable in some cases and your PCP can take over. I cut a couple of doctors out for Mom. It was just a yearly date with a Specilalist. Once her numbers were good, I felt her PCP could take over. If just follow ups, can the doctor spread the appts out. I found my Mom was asked to come back to her PCP every two months. Found the visits were really not follow ups to a problem so only took her when there was a problem.
My hometown uses volunteers to drive seniors to and from medical appointments. It is free to the user and the agency coordinating the service reimbursed the volunteer driver for mileage. Call your local Office of the Aging to see if they have any similar programs. Good luck and be well.