National Volunteer Week soon – won’t you #sharearideAU?
Autumn is a great time of year. However, thousands of older Australians who can no longer drive don’t have the chance to get out and enjoy its milder days. That’s why HillsCarPal is inviting Australians to take our Ride/Selfie Challenge by driving an older person and sharing their story.
There is no better time to give it a try than national volunteer week in May. The Ride/Selfie Challenge is simple and beneficial to the lives of thousands of older Australians who are transitioning from the driver’s seat every day.
* Funds raised by the Ride/Selfie Challenge go to The Hills Community Aid & Information Service Inc., which operates HillsCarPal’s Seniors Transportation service. All such funds will be used to recruit and train new volunteers to meet the backlog of Shut-in Seniors wanting to join HillsCarPal.
Don’t know an older person?
We recognize that not everyone knows an older person in their family, at church, or in their neighborhood who needs a ride. Start planning your Ride/Selfie Challenge volunteer effort by contacting any of the following organizations to locate a person or organization in need of volunteer drivers:
- Hills Community Aid (HillsCarPal) www.hca.org.au
- Australian Community Transport Association www.australiancta.org.au
- Volunteering Australia www.volunteeringaustralia.org
- Do Something Near You www.dosomethingnearyou.com.au
Why Ride/Selfie Challenge?
Aging and losing the ability to drive safely doesn’t need to mean losing the ability to live a full and active life if there are adequate transportation options. But when it comes to transportation, older people are severely underserved, and the unmet need is growing daily. This is despite the efforts of the extensive network of Community Transport services that already operate all over the country. But they are being overwhelmed and need our help.
“Older people who decide to stop driving outlive their decision by about 10-15 years. The answer to their unmet transportation needs is parked in driveways from coast to coast,” said HillsCarPal Founder & Convenor John McQuarrie.
McQuarrie is a passionate advocate for finding ways for Shut-in Seniors to get out and about and thinks that Shut-in Syndrome is emerging as a national problems that has been largely “under the radar” until now.
He asks, “How would you feel if you were trapped in a coffin and no one could hear you? because that’s the way that many Seniors feel as they lose their independence after giving up driving”.
The Ride/Selfie Challenge aims to spread the word about this problem on social media (#sharearideAU) and to inform the community how mobility issues affect the elderly and their families. Because McQuarrie says, “It is only through a shared understanding of the complexities of a social issue that the Australian community can begin to successfully deal with it.”
At the same time the Ride/Selfie Challenge offers some solutions; one being as simple as asking a Senior you know, “Would you like a Ride?”
And, “putting a smile on someone’s dial” is another.
Are you up for it?
For more information please contact:
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