Transportation options for seniors living in an assisted living community are varied and depend upon what is specifically offered at the facility and within the immediate vicinity. Your elderly loved one may have a variety of reasons to travel away from the community, and these may dictate how he or she will get there.

If you are in the process of evaluating different assisted living facilities, make sure you ask about transportation options and under what circumstances transportation may or may not be covered in the standard fees. This is also a good time to consider the location of the facility as an important factor in deciding which facility to choose. If your elderly loved one is still driving, extra transportation options will be helpful, but not necessary (at least not yet). It will still be important, however, to inquire about transportation as part of the assisted living package. At some point, it may become necessary.

Transportation to and from an assisted living facility is typically covered for the following types of needs:

Medical Appointments

One of the most important reasons for leaving home will be to make important health-related appointments. Transportation to and from medical appointments is typically covered as part of a facility’s standard fee. However, there may be restrictions as to which days are covered and how far the driver may go. Some facilities will restrict medical appointments to certain days of the week to leave room for other activities that require transportation resources. Other facilities may restrict how far the driver will go to transport a resident to and from an appointment. Appointments that are beyond a set distance from the facility or are on days not covered by the facility’s schedule may incur additional fees for transportation.

Organized Outings

Assisted Living Communities that offer organized social and recreational outings for its residents will often provide transportation to and from those activities.

All other transportation needs will either be covered by the facility as an additional expense or will need to be worked out by the resident and/or his or her family members. These can include:

• Shopping trips
• Trips to visit friends and family
• Social and recreational outings not organized by the facility
• Religious services

There may be a variety of transportation options for older adults in your community. Some may be more expensive, like taxis or other driving services like Lyft or Uber. Others may be cheaper or even free or donation-based.