NCST’s Connecting Seniors to Public Transportation Grant Program

WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc.

Fremont, Ohio

Aging in Place Category: Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs (CDSMP)

Funding Dates: December 22 2014 – May 31 2015 / Funding Amount: $20,000

Purpose

To increase the knowledge and understanding of local transportation services by providing mobility counseling and training to seniors enrolled in Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management Workshops or receiving homebound meal services.

Key Partners
Ø  Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management Program
Ø  Sandusky County Rural Public Transit Service (TRIPS) / Target Population
Ø  Homebound seniors age 60+
Ø  Seniors enrolled in the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management Program

Major Accomplishments

Ø  This project developed transportation education targeted to Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management Program participants, homebound seniors and caregivers.

Activities

Ø  Developed two mobility modules incorporated into six-week, 16 participant Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management Program workshop.

Ø  Provided mobility counseling sessions to 106 seniors; 77 homebound seniors received individualized sessions and 29 seniors received group counseling at Sandusky County Senior Centers.

Ø  Created a consumer mobility action plan to guide individualized discussions of transportation barriers, options, and follow-up needs as a result of mobility counseling sessions.

Impact

Ø  Increased use of public transportation by 18 new senior riders.

Ø  28 homebound seniors expressed willingness to try public transportation.

Ø  4 Chronic Disease and Pain Self-Management participants expressed willingness to try or continue use of public transportation.

Sponsoring Agency

WSOS is a private, nonprofit Community Action Agency in Sandusky County, Ohio. WSOS is multi-purpose agency provides services to income-eligible individuals and families of all ages, including administering aging, public transportation, and mobility services.

Service Area

Rural Sandusky County covers 418 square miles in Northwestern Ohio. The county has a population of approximately 60,000, of which nearly 16% are seniors over 65 and 20% are over 60 years of age.

Contact

For information about this project, contact Todd Robinson, WSOS Mobility Coordinator, .

The National Center on Senior Transportation is administered by Easter Seals Inc., in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration. The document is disseminated by NCST in the interest of information exchange. Easter Seals, n4a, and the U.S. DOT, FTA do not assume liability for its contents or use.