Training began recently for the Naperville Senior Task Force’s Ride Assist Naperville, a program run under the not-for-profit, Naperville Seniors in Action. The startup works by allowing volunteer drivers to assist seniors with rides to and from doctor’s appointments and medical visits.
Modeled after a similar program from the surrounding suburbs, volunteer drivers were trained how to safely and correctly transport a senior who may use a wheelchair, walker or cane, a vital move in the life of an aging senior.
“This is almost like a life-saving thing, and I told the volunteers this morning, every time you take a senior for a ride, just remember, you’re making a difference in their day,” explained Karen Courney, Co-Executive Director of Ride Assist Naperville.
The program recently conducted its first ride and will ramp up more this month.
Ride Assist Naperville is currently looking for more volunteer drivers. To find out more, visit their website at rideassistnaperville.org.
Naperville News 17’s Alyssa Bochenek reports.
