Transportation to medical appointments

[JamesR]

I hope to soon be a resident in the villages. I will be moving from out of state and away from everyone I know. As a resident of the villages does anyone know if there is a service or person I could pay to bring me to medical appointments and stay there and give me a ride home? I'm thinking only about appointments for procedures that require anesthesia where someone is required to stay at the office and drive me home, like cataract surgery etc. I'm perfectly healthy but any unknown upcoming procedure that involves anesthesia would require me to find someone to stay at the doctor's office and bring me home since driving would be prohibited. I know neighbors would most likely help, but is there any professional service that would do this for a fee?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I hope to soon be a resident in the villages. I will be moving from out of state and away from everyone I know. As a resident of the villages does anyone know if there is a service or person I could pay to bring me to medical appointments and stay there and give me a ride home? I'm thinking only about appointments for procedures that require anesthesia where someone is required to stay at the office and drive me home, like cataract surgery etc. I'm perfectly healthy but any unknown upcoming procedure that involves anesthesia would require me to find someone to stay at the doctor's office and bring me home since driving would be prohibited. I know neighbors would most likely help, but is there any professional service that would do this for a fee?

I don't have an answer, but it's a good question. You could check with a home care company like Happier At Home. They serve the Villages and are based out of Wildwood. They offer medical transport services, but I don't know if it's just part of normal in-home care, or if they offer it as a stand-alone service. Even if they don't provide it to people who aren't needing home-care, they might know of resources for you that do.

[MsPCGenius]

Investigate if your new neighborhood hosts a branch of Caring Neighbors. This is a volunteer-based group of Village residents that provides the exact service you are seeking. Not all Villages offer such a service, but perhaps yours will.....

[JGibson]

Make friends with your neighbors if it's a ride once in a while they will give you a ride.

[LuvNH]

Investigate if your new neighborhood hosts a branch of Caring Neighbors. This is a volunteer-based group of Village residents that provides the exact service you are seeking. Not all Villages offer such a service, but perhaps yours will.....

This is something that United Way introduced and TV was fortunate enough to have a lady who investigated it and set it up for the various villages, but it has not been set up in every village. I have this in my village and when my husband was in the hospital and in care, they were wonderful. Hopefully someone who knows more about it than I do will come to this thread. In my case it was a life saver when you are desperate for a medical ride.

[rjm1cc]

Some counties have services. Check the county site. In general they are drop off and pick up so it may not work for the problem you mention.
In short you want to hire someone for a few hours. Might post here. Maybe try asking for a babysitter with a drivers license.

[villagetinker]

This a very interesting point, and I never understood the point that someone has to wait at the office while the patient is being worked on, a much more realistic approach would be to have a driver waiting at home for a phone call. This could be made when the patient just goes into recovery, and could arrive before the patient is discharged. The last time I had to do this for my wife was during covid, and I was not allowed in the building, THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS......

[retiredguy123]

OP, you can find services for transportation, but they may be very expensive. You may need to pay $300 or more for someone to take you and return you home, depending on how long it takes. The county or state programs are usually restricted to low income people. You will be better off finding friends to share the burden.

[JamesR]

This a very interesting point, and I never understood the point that someone has to wait at the office while the patient is being worked on, a much more realistic approach would be to have a driver waiting at home for a phone call. This could be made when the patient just goes into recovery, and could arrive before the patient is discharged. The last time I had to do this for my wife was during covid, and I was not allowed in the building, THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS......
I agree. I can't seem to find a logical reason why someone needs to wait in the waiting area when someone is undergoing a procedure serious enough to prohibit them from driving home. If complications arise during the procedure the patient would be transported by ambulance to another facility if needed, so what is the need for someone to be waiting in the waiting room? I can totally understand they will need a ride home but wouldn't an Uber ride be sufficient?

[JamesR]

Investigate if your new neighborhood hosts a branch of Caring Neighbors. This is a volunteer-based group of Village residents that provides the exact service you are seeking. Not all Villages offer such a service, but perhaps yours will.....
This is exactly the service I was wondering about. I'm going to contact them to find out more. Thank you, thank you, thank you for responding.

[Dusty_Star]

This is exactly the service I was wondering about. I'm going to contact them to find out more. Thank you, thank you, thank you for responding.

Please share what you find out. It is a very good question.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Please share what you find out. It is a very good question.

Wow. Talk about a missed opportunity for someone to do some good and make a few bucks in the process. I also would love a follow up....

[barbara828]

St. Lukes has a shuttle bus. Pick- up and delivery.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

St. Lukes has a shuttle bus. Pick- up and delivery.

Unfortunately that doesn't address the OP's concern. Some procedures require that someone stay in the facility waiting for the patient. That means no "pick up and delivery." It means "pick up, bring in, sit in the waiting room or the cafeteria if applicable until the patient is brought back out, and then bring the patient home."

Shuttle bus service is not the same thing.

[badkarma318]

Transit Passenger Guide | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/95/Transit)

Reservations and Routes | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/184/Reservations-Shuttle-SchedulesRoutes)

Transit Applications | Sumter County, FL - Official Website (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/770/Transit-Applications)

[Ele201]

I’m glad you mentioned this topic, because I think The Villages could do better by offering some kind of public transportation. After all, this is not a small community, but a sprawling town that is ever growing. And it’s an over-55, so if course that’s going to mean more trips to doctor’s offices. I have visited some beach communities in Florida that offer free trolley rides around town.

I’ve used Uber to get around at times, and it worked fine. However you may not feel comfortable with that, especially returning from a medical procedure. You could get to know your new neighbors and ask them, as some have suggested. Maybe offer them a few dollars for gas. But frankly I don’t like depending on people that way, unless you develop a close friendship. Wish I could offer more solutions.

[bowlingal]

St. Lukes in Lake Sumter for cataract surgery has a van to pick you up and take you home afterwards. I used it, was the only one on it and was very happy with it....and with Dr Ireland who performed the surgery

[jacqueline larsen]

The eye surgery centers now provide transportation.
Counties provide bus services.

[marsil]

NEXT DOOR online, if the request is made, will get answers from people that are willing to help. You will have no problem. Many kind souls here.

[johnfarr]

Some churches offer volunteer transportation for parishioners. Check with yours.

[HospitalCoder]

This a very interesting point, and I never understood the point that someone has to wait at the office while the patient is being worked on, a much more realistic approach would be to have a driver waiting at home for a phone call. This could be made when the patient just goes into recovery, and could arrive before the patient is discharged. The last time I had to do this for my wife was during covid, and I was not allowed in the building, THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS......

If it’s a longer wait than just a physician visit, we have a volunteer for each direction.

[Windguy]

I think the hospitals have a very good reason for their rules. You cannot use a taxi, Uber, or some other public service because they want you to use someone who will take responsibility for you. They even want your helper to stay with you at home for a while to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction.

As for why someone has to wait at the surgery center, maybe they just want to be sure you have someone to help you. I suspect people previously would have someone drop them off and the driver would leave and not come back.

[Girlcopper]

I agree. I can't seem to find a logical reason why someone needs to wait in the waiting area when someone is undergoing a procedure serious enough to prohibit them from driving home. If complications arise during the procedure the patient would be transported by ambulance to another facility if needed, so what is the need for someone to be waiting in the waiting room? I can totally understand they will need a ride home but wouldn't an Uber ride be sufficient?
Totally agree. Why the heck would someone wait hours until you’re done? And what’s wrong with Uber.? Medicare provides medical transport. There’s plenty of options

[Freeda]

Check with your health insurance company; some offer this service.

[JamesR]

Investigate if your new neighborhood hosts a branch of Caring Neighbors. This is a volunteer-based group of Village residents that provides the exact service you are seeking. Not all Villages offer such a service, but perhaps yours will.....
This "Caring Neighbors" organization seems to be the best answer for me. It's a volunteer organization of multiple neighbors in each village who have signed up to help with free transportation and other chores when help is needed. The information on their website (if it is current) indicates they are currently established in 11 villages and are trying to grow to every village. The only issue I can see on their website is if you don't live in a village where they are already established you can not get help. I totally understand that, because someone living in the Spanish Springs area should not expect a volunteer in the Fenney area to drive to help them, it is just too far. People reading this thread may currently have a spouse or family nearby to help but you may also find yourself unexpectedly single like me. If you don't want to personally rely on a particular neighbor for help this service would be valuable to you. I encourage everyone to check out their website and help them grow and establish a presence in each village. This is the website Caring Neighbors - www.thevillagescaringneighbors.com (http://www.thevillagescaringneighbors.com)

The truth is we will all end up as singles again one day and need help. Thank you to all who have responded.

[Number 10 GI]

There is no way I would participate in any for pay service to transport "clients" anywhere. I wouldn't do it on volunteer basis either. Why? Liability risk. If anything happened, while transporting someone, that caused injury to a "client", you better hope you have appropriate insurance and meet any legal licensing requirements mandated by the government. Uber provides liability insurance for their rideshare drivers to protect them in case of a lawsuit. People will and do sue all the time for the most ridiculous reasons. I will not do anything that runs the risk of causing me to lose everything that I have worked for in my life. Cold hearted? No sensible.

[LaneyBeckler]

I've used Florida Blue for transportation to medical appointments, under their Medicare Advantage plan.

[jjombrello]

Ocala Eye has a service that will take one to their surgery center and return them home. Not sure if other eye centers do the same but I would not be surprised if they did.

[Escape Artist]

I hope to soon be a resident in the villages. I will be moving from out of state and away from everyone I know. As a resident of the villages does anyone know if there is a service or person I could pay to bring me to medical appointments and stay there and give me a ride home? I'm thinking only about appointments for procedures that require anesthesia where someone is required to stay at the office and drive me home, like cataract surgery etc. I'm perfectly healthy but any unknown upcoming procedure that involves anesthesia would require me to find someone to stay at the doctor's office and bring me home since driving would be prohibited. I know neighbors would most likely help, but is there any professional service that would do this for a fee?

Health Insurance offers transportation to and from medical appointments for seniors and so do various doctor’s offices. I don’t know of any that will wait for you though.

[JamesR]

Health Insurance offers transportation to and from medical appointments for seniors and so do various doctor’s offices. I don’t know of any that will wait for you though.
I agree, there are lots of options to get to and from normal medical appointments. Getting someone to stay in the waiting room while you are under anesthesia for an outpatient procedure is harder and there are far fewer options for that.

[JamesR]

There is no way I would participate in any for pay service to transport "clients" anywhere. I wouldn't do it on volunteer basis either. Why? Liability risk. If anything happened, while transporting someone, that caused injury to a "client", you better hope you have appropriate insurance and meet any legal licensing requirements mandated by the government. Uber provides liability insurance for their rideshare drivers to protect them in case of a lawsuit. People will and do sue all the time for the most ridiculous reasons. I will not do anything that runs the risk of causing me to lose everything that I have worked for in my life. Cold hearted? No sensible.
Good point and well taken. We are exposed to liability whenever we carry a passenger in our cars, even more so for an informal volunteer service.

[JMintzer]

Totally agree. Why the heck would someone wait hours until you’re done? And what’s wrong with Uber.? Medicare provides medical transport. There’s plenty of options

Some hospitals won't discharge you to an Uber Driver after a procedure...

Especially if anesthesia is involved...

[HORNET]

Been here many, many years, but when I first moved here was at a community club meeting and a lady made a statement “ didn’t want to be a nurse or purse”! I have supplied transportation to help friends. So for that reason maybe just maybe, the ones that control The Villages should have or make it possible to have help for those who decide to spend their future here!

[barbara828]

He did mention cataracts.

[mtdjed]

I hope to soon be a resident in the villages. I will be moving from out of state and away from everyone I know. As a resident of the villages does anyone know if there is a service or person I could pay to bring me to medical appointments and stay there and give me a ride home? I'm thinking only about appointments for procedures that require anesthesia where someone is required to stay at the office and drive me home, like cataract surgery etc. I'm perfectly healthy but any unknown upcoming procedure that involves anesthesia would require me to find someone to stay at the doctor's office and bring me home since driving would be prohibited. I know neighbors would most likely help, but is there any professional service that would do this for a fee?

Are you a member of AARP? Their website has quite a good overview on how to set up a
home caregiving plan.

Best WSHES.

[tophcfa]

For us the transportation is rather tedious. It involves flying up north, getting picked up at the airport, then driving my truck to appointments or getting a ride with my wife. It’s a pain in the butt, but we get the benefit of top notch medical care. Scheduling appoints is tricky, everything has to be crammed into the windows of time we are up north. My worst nightmare is needing unplanned emergency care when we are at our Villages home. Been there and done that, it’s not good at best.

[Heartnsoul]

I hope to soon be a resident in the villages. I will be moving from out of state and away from everyone I know. As a resident of the villages does anyone know if there is a service or person I could pay to bring me to medical appointments and stay there and give me a ride home? I'm thinking only about appointments for procedures that require anesthesia where someone is required to stay at the office and drive me home, like cataract surgery etc. I'm perfectly healthy but any unknown upcoming procedure that involves anesthesia would require me to find someone to stay at the doctor's office and bring me home since driving would be prohibited. I know neighbors would most likely help, but is there any professional service that would do this for a fee?

Something we need desperately and no nothing. I've had to Uber myself

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Something we need desperately and no nothing. I've had to Uber myself

You can't Uber to an appointment where the doctor requires your driver to remain in the office until the appointment is over.