<p>Few people think about the potential challenges of getting around town when their ability to drive declines with age.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/your-money/when-retirement-planning-consider-transportation.html”>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/your-money/when-retirement-planning-consider-transportation.html</a></p>
<p>I’m expecting by the time I’m 80, Google driverless car will be available.</p>
<p>Thanks for bringing that up. It’s not just driving but getting around. i was in NYC last week and an elderly woman just could not make the walk to the subway. Just fell and just couldn’t make it. Was sobbing as she realized it was going to be a big problem. There comes a time when one simply needs a companion to go out anywhere. That happened with my mother and my MIL as well. My mother was just too fragile to walk even the short distances to stores and whereever much less carry groceries or anything home. Even calling and catching a cab became an ordeal for her. While my cousin was alive, she’d accompany her to doctor’s appts, grocery store, etc. Then there were social services that did send assign a companion to her, something for which I am ever so grateful. I still send a package to the wonderful woman who took her places that last year my mother lived independently. It gave her that one more year. My mother never drove and was in a place with excellent public transportation but when you throw in the weather and other factors, it’s still often not doable. Even with cabs. </p>
<p>I always hated driving and the idea of doing so as my eyes fade and reflexes slow down frighten me greatly. It is of consideration. I think that is a reason we’ll stay near where most of our kids live. Dh’s uncle and aunt who are now in their 80s are able to still function in their home because they have several children and grandchildren in the area, and so a lot of hands to help out, drive them places, etc. Though the aunt still drives, for any distance or anything complicated, someone goes with her, and always someone when the uncle has to go anywhere as he needs assistance. It makes a difference to have family and community around to help. And they live in a suburb where they have to drive every and anywhere.</p>
<p>There is Amazon fresh delivery in my neighborhood. Also for people over 65 or there is a medical reason one cannot drive, there is service you can pay $5 for a van to come an pick you up door to door for doctors appointment or anywhere.</p>
<p>We have a great service in our community that provides door-to-door transportation, but it is not easy to schedule it on-the-fly, from what I’ve heard. The drivers are exceptionally gentle, and they’ll not only walk up to your door, they’ll help you get your coat on if that is needed. I’d think twice about moving somewhere that didn’t have this as a realistic service.</p>
<p>And, like DrGoogle, I’m very much looking forward to the self-driving cars. I think that will be a game changer for aging in place.</p>
<p>Some areas have Walmart ToGo. My mom loves that. She is still able to drive, but she likes getting a big load of heavy stuff delivered ($5) every 3 weeks. She likes the ToGo website, which makes suggestions based on past purchases. She lives in senior apartment complex that also has other local grocery options. I’m only 3 miles away, but she prefers to be independent. </p>
<p>Yes, different retirement communities DO have different options for transportation. This can make a big difference, especially if residents/patients need to go to medical appointments, want to go shopping, attend events, or other things and don’t want to have to pay for or deal with taxis. </p>
<p>Some of the patients we work with have been surprised that their retirement community does NOT drive them to appointments or other things that they want. It’s good to check into when evaluating possibilities as we and loved ones age.</p>
<p>The “walkablity” factor seems is important these days to 20-something crowd… as well as aging seniors. This is a helpful website - <a href=“http://www.walkscore.com/”>http://www.walkscore.com/</a></p>
<p>Another vote for the Google driverless car. I’m hoping So Cal will be one if the first communities to get them given our good weather. I think the estimate is 10-15 years. Wonder where I can sign up…</p>
<p>Some food for thought for anyone thinking of retiring to a small town/rural area. Most of these places have NO public transportation at all, NO grocery delivery, NO services like Uber, Lyft, etc. My parents/in laws live in small town midwest and have to drive everywhere. </p>
<p>I have trouble understanding why some folks retire to remote mountain communities. They are beautiful, but often have many stairs to navigate and limited accessible essential resources. I love the “walkability” indicator. DS’s used it frequently when looking at housing. I plan to use the “eventual-grandchild-ability” indicator, to measure distance to eventual grandkids :)</p>
<p>The folks retiring to remote mountain communities are young retirees, looking to do it for a while… but not forever . That plan does not appeal to us, but we see it a lot in Colorado. </p>
<p>I love to live somewhere with large piece of land which could be rural but my husband me he is not young anymore.:D</p>
<p>"The “walkablity” factor seems is important these days to 20-something crowd… as well as aging seniors. This is a helpful website - <a href="http://www.walkscore.com/“>http://www.walkscore.com/</a>”</p>
<p>Yep. It is for me. And walkability, in most places in the U.S., translates to wheelchair-ability. (Maybe not in San Francisco!) My home in Chicago has a 99 walk score.</p>
<p>I generally think of my neighborhood development as unwalkable. In fact, it has a wa;l score of only 8. But… t it still has some appeal (at least in early retirement). It provides more fitness walking opportunities than city convenience, but it is better than being “out in the sticks”. </p>
<p>There is a small plaza about a mile away (nice sidewalks, crosswalks), so I decided to walk to get my haircut instead of driving. Looking at things with different eyes, I noticed we do have a small assortment of places that would make good “destinations”. I knew we liked the neighborhood lake/trail. Now I am starting to think about doing more walking errands when we have more time. </p>
<p>We recently built/moved in our retirement home out in the boondocks! It’s a 20 minute drive to the closest grocery store. Even if we lived in town, the stores wouldn’t be within walking distance. We are 52 and 55. Maybe something closer will be built before we get too old! </p>
<p>Yes, we had friends whom we visited. They all had big lots in a rustic part of Kauai. Very scenic and nice for feeling you’re away from it all but you have to drive or fly for medical care and definitely have to drive to buy anything. </p>
<p>In the future, I plan on having a mind set to call a taxi when I want to. already started it - as the taxi is less expensive than parking at the local airport if we are gone for 2 weeks. I figure they take taxis in NYC why not here? </p>
<p>Walk Score uses some seriously wonky data. My address is rated as “somewhat walkable” a 68 – the library is 5 blocks away, a grocery store is six blocks away, 50+ restaurants/banks/shops are five-eight blocks away, a major park is one block away, senior center is 4 blocks away, and the bike path is fifty feet from my house. Sidewalks everywhere, a public bike-sharing station two blocks away, a beauty salon one block away. Bus stops are either three or four blocks away, depending on direction. Not real sure what the heck would make it a lot more walkable?</p>
<p>My zip code is rated as not walkable, even though there are parts of it that are a block or less from the shopping center which has a professional building with doctor’s offices and more, a library and a bank. There are sidewalks everywhere and a bus stop in each direction is a block away, like where my folks live. It’s pretty walkable but the zip code encompasses a pretty large area and many of the other parts of the zip code are further from the shopping center and perhaps bus stops.</p>