CanAge, a national seniors advocacy group, says transportation is often a major barrier for elderly people who don’t drive, making it harder for them to access programs and health care.
That’s why the organization is helping to collect more information on the state of transportation for seniors in B.C. as part of a larger Canada-wide project.
“Transportation is one of the top five barriers for older people in social connection, as well as getting health and other types of supports they needed. In order to age in place we need to make sure that people are not isolated,” said CanAge president Laura Tamblyn Watts.
“For people to be vibrant and engaged and live healthy lives, transportation has to be at the centre of that.”
CanAge is asking B.C. community groups and municipalities to fill out an online survey to identify transportation challenges facing seniors and also share successes.
A final report based on the information submitted will be released in May.
Tamblyn Watts said that with philanthropic or government funding, the hope is that programs already working on a local level can be scaled up to help more seniors across Canada.
Anyone interested in contributing to the research can access the online form here.