Interview
Oct 04, 2009
Interview with Gary D. Thomas, Executive Director of SAINT Volunteer Transportation
Gary D. Thomas, Executive Director of SAINT Volunteer Transportation for seven years, discusses seniors’ transportation needs and challenges. Mr. Thomas, who has a bachelor of business administration degree from The University of Texas and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Society of Human Resource Managements, also addresses ways in which these needs can be met as more elderly people require alternatives to driving and public transportation.
Mr. Thomas directly supervises three employees, with whom he recruits and coordinates the activities of approximately 160 volunteers who donate their time and use their own cars to provide transportation for seniors and people with disabilities in Fort Collins and Loveland. SAINT’s mission is to support independence by providing the necessary transportation so clients can access the goods and services they need to maintain a reasonable quality of life. SAINT provides over 20,000 rides each year to approximately 500 clients.
Mr. Thomas’s positions as chair of the Fort Collins Transportation Board, chair of the Loveland Transportation Advisory Board, and member in the regional Transit Advisory Group and the Larimer County Mobility Council give him an opportunity to advocate for improved transportation of all kinds in the community.
In terms of your area of service, what would you say are the most critical needs of seniors in our community?
Securing adequate transportation is a problem for all seniors once they reach the point at which they no longer drive. Unless one lives near a bus route, there are few options for mobility and the towns are laid out for automobile access.
In particular, transportation between Loveland and Fort Collins is very difficult for people who cannot drive. However, more and more, medical appointments require traveling between the two towns. In addition, people who live outside the cities have limited access into the towns for all kinds of needs.
Within the towns, there are working transit systems. However, more routes and more convenience (less wait time) are needed to make the system more user-friendly to seniors as well as everyone else.
Of those needs (or others), are there aging issues for which there is little (or no) adequate means of support?
For someone who cannot drive or withstand a trip involving two to three hours on several buses, there is no reasonable support for traveling between Fort Collins and Loveland. The same can be said for anyone who lives outside the city and/or needs after-hours access to work, medical treatments, social activities, etc.
Do you have any examples of these "unmet needs" (e.g., a brief anecdote or story about an elderly person)?
We have had several calls that involve a spouse living in Fort Collins who has a major medical emergency and is taken to the new Medical Center of the Rockies in east Loveland, and the other spouse being unable to drive. Depending on where they live, the visiting spouse may need to take five buses and over three hours to get to the hospital.
What is your perception of how these needs now affect our community at large?
Increasing numbers of people have to travel between the two towns. As the population continues to age past the point of driving, this will be a significant problem. The possibility exists that some people simply will forgo needed treatments because of their inaccessibility.
What are your thoughts about the potential impact of seniors’ growing needs in five to ten years?
If we are not able to provide better transit connections within and between the towns, the problem is only going to get much worse. Already the census data tell us that the cohort of people aged 75 or older is among the fastest-growing groups.
What approaches/solutions have been tried in attempting to deal with these needs?
A couple of years ago, an attempt was made to establish a regional transportation authority (RTA), with a provision for transit between the towns. This attempt failed when design committee members pushed for more roads at the cost of transit.
However, this year the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland both have adopted strategic transit plans that include an evaluation of combining the two transit organizations. The plans also call for increased service between the towns and other nearby communities. Demand for transit and economics will dictate if and when the plans are put into motion.
Which approaches/solutions have succeeded, and why?
Continued public education about the need for successful transit options helped the above strategic plans to pass. The high gasoline prices last year provided something of a wake-up call in terms of the need for alternative transportation options.
Which approaches/solutions have failed, and why?
Attempting to craft a two-county proposal for higher taxes for both roads and transit did not work—mostly because rural communities, primarily in Weld County, saw more value in building their road networks than did the larger cities in Larimer County that have and value transit services. Focusing on just Larimer County needs seems to work better.
What steps can the community take to help with solutions to current and potential unmet needs of the elderly?
The strategic plans are all there now to provide adequate public transit service. They lack only the funding. Public communication to elected officials and other community leaders is needed to raise the awareness and political will to dedicate the necessary resources.
What steps can business leaders take to help?
Employers can encourage employees to use more transit in their daily commutes. The more riders on the existing system, the easier finding funding for expansion will be. Very large employers may want to consider entering into contracts with the city bus agencies to subsidize special bus routes that service their facilities. Having a working bus system in place is the best insurance against the next time fuel prices run up.
Business leaders should also take the time to familiarize themselves with the pending impacts of the aging baby boomer cohort. In 15 to 20 years, the 78 million members of that group will overwhelm all existing transit systems when they reach the point at which they stop driving. Land-use planning and development must anticipate the need to marry transit and housing to accommodate that many non-drivers.
Do you have any other comments, observations, or key messages you wish to communicate to members of the public, government representatives and employees, and business leaders of Larimer County?
I think three significant trends will cause most people to reconsider the balance between private automobiles and public transportation: the rising cost of fuel, the desire to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases, and the baby boomers’ move into their senior years. The timing and impact of any one of these are still somewhat unknown. But taken together, along with the existing shortfall in services discussed above, these factors form a “perfect storm” of demand for more transit to more locations. Communities that anticipate and prepare for the changes will likely do much better than those that wait.
Aug 17, 2009
Interview with Diane M. Stobnicke, Volunteers of America Division Director
Interview with Diane M. Stobnicke, Volunteers of America Division Director, Northern Colorado Services for five years provides information on current volunteer services for Larimer County seniors, as well as future needs. Ms. Stobnicke has a Master of Public Administration degree and almost 40 years of experience in human services programs, nine of which are with Volunteers of America. She is responsible for the administration of the division, which includes seven different programs for seniors and 12 staff members.
Volunteers of America provides services to the most vulnerable individuals in the community. In Larimer County, services are focused on elderly adults to support them in remaining self-sufficient for as long as possible. Services include home-delivered meals, congregate meals, grocery-shopping services, commodities delivery, handyman services, respite services for family caregivers, and volunteer opportunities.
In terms of your area of service, what would you say are the most critical needs of seniors in our community?
Seniors need access to an array of affordable services that allow them to remain in their home. These services include food, housecleaning, building repairs, companionship, case management, etc. In addition, seniors need affordable public transportation.
Of those needs (or others), are there aging issues for which there is little (or no) adequate means of support?
Affordable case management would benefit many seniors by helping them navigate through all the support services opportunities. Often seniors do not access existing services because they either do not know about them or are unsure or unable to contact them.
There also seems to be very little support for "odd" jobs seniors need completed, such as moving appliances, painting, roof repair, and others.
What is your perception of how these needs now affect our community at large?
I am not sure the community at large is aware of the needs of our low-income elders.
What are your thoughts about the potential impact of seniors’ growing needs in five to ten years?
If we do not provide the simple services needed to keep our elders healthy and in their homes, then we will be paying the higher costs of institutionalization down the road.
What approaches/solutions have been tried in attempting to deal with these needs?
We do our best in assisting our Meals on Wheels clients to find necessary services, but we do not do full case management. We provide as much handyman support as we can afford, but it is limited to safety issues.
Which approaches/solutions have succeeded, and why?
We have found that the more one-on-one time we can give to an elder, the better the results.
Which approaches/solutions have failed, and why?
Just providing reading material does not change behavior. For example, we can provide information on how to prevent slips, trips, and falls, but unless we review it with the senior and help her or him address hazards, then very little change occurs.
What steps can community members take to help with solutions to current and potential unmet needs of the elderly?
Take an interest in seniors and value their contribution to the community.
Raise community awareness, so that when we fundraise we are likely to generate more donations.
Volunteer to provide some of these services.
What steps can community leaders/business leaders take to help?
Community and business leaders can take the same steps recommended for community members.
Interview with Valerie DiBenedetto, Fort Collins Meals on Wheels
In this interview, Valerie DiBenedetto, Fort Collins Meals on Wheels Executive Director for almost five years, discusses Larimer County seniors’ nutrition and social needs. Ms. DiBenedetto, who has a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies and a master’s degree in gerontology, also addresses ways of meeting these needs—both now and in the future.
Fort Collins Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered meals, social contact, and a well-being check on each delivery day to homebound residents in the Fort Collins area; meals are delivered five days a week. Larimer County residents are eligible to receive the meals if they are homebound and unable to prepare nutritious meals for themselves, and therefore have a deficient diet.
In terms of your area of service, what would you say are the most critical needs of seniors in our community?
I believe that in the area of meeting nutritional needs of homebound seniors, there is possibly the need for seniors to have weekend home-delivered meal options. It is always a question we are asked, both by our recipients and the community at large. I also believe that a critical need is that a service, such as ours, must remain affordable to all who need it.
Of those needs (or others), are there aging issues for which there is little (or no) adequate means of support?
I truly believe that there is huge need in our community for more transportation options for our most frail elders. There are some of our elders who would still want to get out to activities if transportation could be more available and easier to use. It is difficult for an 85-year-old to be on Dial-A-Ride bus for two hours, as stops are made. I believe that more transportation, such as that offered by Senior Alternatives IN Transportation (SAINT), could help.
Do you have any examples of these "unmet needs" (e.g., a brief anecdote or story about an elderly person)?
I am very concerned that in the area of nutrition (i.e., daily delivered meals) that my clients may decrease the number of deliveries/a week to limit the cost—but they really need them all five days of the week. They will often not admit that decreasing their meals and/or completely stopping them is due to cost—they are too proud to tell us that.
What is your perception of how these needs now affect our community at large?
I hate to start off with “in these difficult economic times,” but the truth is that everyone is impacted when elders need more assistance to live independently. I believe that, on the whole, families are there to support their elders and will do whatever they can to help. But I recently had a family member who was paying for her father’s meals and had to stop because of her change in employment status; now her father struggles with the cost. We still have him on meals, but he struggles. We will do our best to continue meals, but that translates into our finding more funds to subsidize more than usual. Again, the need for weekend meals could become more important if the working adults caring for elders need to work additional jobs to make ends meet. We shall see.
What are your thoughts about the potential impact of seniors’ growing needs in five to ten years?
We all know about the “tsunami” of the baby boomers becoming elderly. When the largest number of baby boomers are between 75 and 85, I believe a service like ours will be most impacted. The first baby boomers will reach 75 in 2021. I hope the prediction that many baby boomers are healthier will translate into a later date that the number we will be serving will really “boom.” Right now, we serve about 150 meals a day—I expect that number will start increasing slowly over the next five to ten years but will approach 200 during that time period—at least.
What approaches/solutions have been tried in attempting to deal with these needs?
If/when the demands on our service increase, we will have to work closely with our partner, Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH), to see what their maximum will be for the number of meals they can prepare. If we reach their maximum, another vendor would need to be found. If the demand for weekend meals increases, and we, as an agency, decide to try to meet that need, we would have to look at PVH to provide these or another vendor, plus we would be looking at recruiting a whole new volunteer base for weekend volunteering.
Which approaches/solutions have succeeded, and why?
I do know that other Meals on Wheels programs have added frozen meals to their Friday deliveries or an additional “lunch.” I have also found some programs that provide breakfasts, delivered at the same time as the lunch meal—to be eaten the next morning.
Which approaches/solutions have failed, and why?
I have no knowledge of failed approaches. I hope to gain more information in this area in the future—if/when I start looking at different ideas.
What steps can the community take to help with solutions to current and potential unmet needs of the elderly?
I do believe that in working with seniors, the challenge is not in reaching the active, younger seniors, but in reaching the homebound, most elderly, most frail community members. We need to find a way to reach them, talk to them, find out their needs.
What steps can business leaders take to help?
Reaching these frail, very elderly people is something that needs to happen, and maybe the business community can be a “pipeline” of information giving and gathering, both to and from the older seniors they serve.
Do you have any other comments, observations, or key messages you wish to communicate to members of the public, government representatives and employees, and business leaders of Larimer County?
My heart is in making sure that the most elderly residents of our communities are able to live out their lives with dignity in the living situation that ensures their safety and optimal health. This living situation also has to ensure their quality of life. Preventing the isolation that causes depression is key. If our elders want to “age in place,” I want them to be able to do that. I believe that our community has what it takes to make this happen, now and into the future. Most important is the fact that we can’t do it without talking to those we are trying to help.
