Senior Access celebrating 30 years of helping older adults get around, socializing
Marilyn Horndt hops onto the van and immediately says hello to everyone. Many of the people on board have become friends, and she says their rides together are fun.
"We laugh. We giggle," she said. "We just sit there and talk."
For Horndt, who is in her 70s and lives by herself in Round Rock, the friends she makes while riding the Senior Access van are as important as the freedom the trips provide.
For 30 years, Senior Access has been helping older adults who are otherwise stuck at home to socialize while also helping them get where they need to go.
The nonprofit provides free transportation to doctor's appointments, beauty shops, grocery stores or anywhere clients 60 and older want to go, including such day activities as bingo games. Serita Lacasse, Senior Access' executive director, said it is dedicated to helping older people stay independent for as long as possible.
The people who get rides from Senior Access are those who are isolated in their homes because they do not have cars, cannot drive or do not have family who can take them places.
"I just can't even imagine not being able to meet new people or go places," Lacasse said. "That's what they are going through right now, and we are able to bring them together."
Ridership, service area expands
The nonprofit started in February 1993 serving five people in the Round Rock area, but is now helping 1,300 clients in Pflugerville, Hutto, Manor and East Austin, along with Round Rock. Lacasse said it now has 35 people on a waiting list.
Seeing a greater need for its services, the nonprofit expanded to Pflugerville in 2004. Lacasse said it expanded to Hutto in 2015 after getting calls from residents there. In 2016, Senior Access expanded to East Austin and to Manor in 2019.
With the expansions to different cities, the program went from having one van when the nonprofit started to now having five.
The nonprofit is able to provide the free rides through donations from the St. David's Foundation, the Carl and Marie Jo Anderson Foundation, United Heritage Credit Union, St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, the city of Pflugerville and individual donations.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed Senior Access' growth in 2020, forcing it to suspend services for six months and to make changes to keep passengers and drivers safe.
When service resumed in September 2020, plexiglass shields had been installed in the vans and the nonprofit began checking temperatures, providing hand sanitizer, requiring masks and limiting ridership to seven passengers.
During the pandemic, ridership dropped to 5,000 trips from 17,000 the year before. Lacasse said ridership increased to more than 12,000 in 2022, and it is getting closer to pre-pandemic numbers with 300 riders per week.
More:Senior Access looking for number of free rides to bounce back from COVID decline
Lacasse said that as the service has grown, the connection between riders also has increased, with seniors more being able to meet others in similar situations.
"We're more than a ride to the doctor or the grocery store," Lacasse said. "We're about that connection that you're making back into society."
A sense of independency
Horndt moved to Round Rock in 2019 and quickly began using Senior Access to get around, buy her groceries and to make friends.
She uses the program's free services every Tuesday and Thursday to buy her groceries, but sometimes she goes for just the company. She says she will walk around the store and talk to people. Horndt said the van ride gives her a sense of control over her life.
"I meet other people in the same boat as myself," she said. "We talk, and that has provided a lot of friendships."
Rosie Martinez 75, has been living in Round Rock for 11 years and has been widowed for the past five. She does not have a car.
Martinez has two daughters in the area, but she says they aren't always available to help her during the week because of their jobs. She said the weekly trips with Senior Access let her get out of the house, mingle with other older ladies, make friends with new people and get anything she needs.
"They treat us like family," she said of the nonprofit. "I really enjoy making the trips to the stores. It's not good to be by yourself, and to mingle with other people is good. You get to share recipes or things that are going on."
Martinez said that without Senior Access, she likely would not be able to go anywhere. She likes having the ability to go grocery shopping, going to Target to buy clothes, to get a head start on her Christmas shopping and see her friends.
Martinez also enjoys "Adult Day" hosted by Senior Access at various sites, where clients gather to mingle, play games, dance, check in with one another and to enjoy life.
Martinez said Senior Access also helps older people not feel like a nuisance to their families.
"Being independent, that means a lot," she said. "I think when you get to a certain age you feel like you did something, that you accomplished something more or less. That's what it means to me."
Drivers enjoy helping seniors
Tim McNatt, 59, and Kim Buck, 62, are two of five full-time drivers at Senior Access. Both McNatt and Buck said the work helps them to be active and to socialize, but that their favorite part of the job is being able to help the seniors.
The organization has three backup drivers and 500 volunteers who can help at least once a month. Drivers can take up to 26 clients at one time in the vans, but on average they take between seven to 14 clients per trip.
Buck said she has seen seniors attend the grocery rides but not buy anything, and instead just interact with the people around them.
McNatt said he has seen how the program helps beyond just getting seniors to where they need to go.
“They become friends with each other,” McNatt said. “Sure, they get groceries, but the biggest part is the social aspect. They are usually in their apartment or house by themselves, and they don’t ever get out.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Senior Access celebrates 30 years of helping older adults
