Fairfax County needs volunteers to drive older adults to medical appointments throughout the county. Contact Fairfax County's Volunteer Solutions at 703-324-5406, TTY 703-449-1186, VolunteerSolutions@fairfaxcounty.gov , or visit Volunteer Solutions at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on volunteers.

They raise taxes, cut services-and now they want volunteers?

I suggest that parents of kids getting sports, student government, all that crap do some of this driving to cover the fees.

This is just too much.

I am sure some of the posters here would love to help the geezers go pick up their meds...

What kinda pills BTW?!?!?
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Has anyone actually volunteered for this or otherwise know some backstory on how it works?

"Transportation – Drive older adults to and from medical appointments, pharmacy, bank, library, grocery shopping etc."


How does scheudling on this work? Do you offer to do like a one-time deal? Are you supposed to have windows or coordinate directly with the old folk?

Also, driving to appointments.. how do you now if this is a 5 minute deal or a two hours deal? It seems like this could be pretty wide ranging. Like say I wouldn't mind on Friday helping someone out between 9-10am but how do you prevent this from turning into a 6 hour ordeal.. short of just driving off.

June 27, 2013

Volunteers Needed new
Posted by: birendrakunwar ()
Date: June 27, 2013 12:49PM


Fairfax County needs volunteers to drive older adults to medical appointments throughout the county. Contact Fairfax County's Volunteer Solutions at 703-324-5406, TTY 703-449-1186, VolunteerSolutions@fairfaxcounty.gov , or visit Volunteer Solutions at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on volunteers.

Conversation: I think it's going to be tough to find volunteers to do this very large task.

Fairfax County needs more innovative thinking on creating a "Paratransit Project", perhaps a variation of Arlington County has for seniors and handicaps with supplmental for others who may need and be willing to pay a bit more .

I had suggested such a "paratransit" demo project, funded by a foundation at a DOT event in Washington DC a year ago.

There was a representative from a Foundation at this meeting who told us that he would love to get proposals based on "success model" such as I had identified.

SO, such a "paratransit" demo can be done in Fairfax, with funding from a qualified foundation and combined with other "proven" paratransits that exist elsewhere, even the one at Houston, TX that is totally "private" but a bit expensive and very large, as Houston and the surrounding area is pretty large equivalent to designing something for the whole Washington DC Metro that would not be our goal. Just restrict such to our own community, Fairfax COunty, USA

Another great idea but poorly managed by the county.

Volunteers Needed new
Posted by: birendrakunwar ()
Date: June 27, 2013 12:49PM


For a "Paratransit System" that works via PPP (Private Public Partnership) selcted from the "best success models' exiting in other communities in USA can be modified somewhat as we have a community of diverse ethnicity that very few others work.

In Fairfax county therefore a "Inter-Faith Format" would be a right choice getting the churches and temples that exist here. It's a good choice for a nation that takes pride in and enforce "religious freedom" with strong legal justice system.

I would recommend that the Sikh Community in Fairfax be asked to coordinate this "Inter-Faith" Effort.

God knows the suffering that Sikhs has endured elsewhere. But their admirable leadrship and patience and kindness in face of adversity is examplitory here in America if for no other reasons.
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There are organizations that provide this sort of service, but it costs about $20.00/an hour to make use of it. As one who needed to use it for rides to and from an operation, I will say that unless the person has a job, or is a retiree with lots of money, few would be able to afford to pay for this professional service and it often is not covered in insurance. They also commonly charge a minimum of 4 hours for each service, even if it takes less.

There used to be a volunteer organization in Loudoun that requires those using their services to donate a $25.00 gas card for each time the service is used. They are so busy there often is no one to match the person in need with. There needs to be some form of payment involved as with gas so high, who can afford a whole day off coupled with a 100 mile trip to a medical facility over in MD or DC or even somewhere in NOva these days, volunteer or the elderly requesting it? And that does not include the costs of parking, food if you need them to wait all day for you, etc.

This will not end well.

It's called Dial-a-Ride on the Fastran 'tard bus service that we all pay for. Now they want volunteers?

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rec/fastran/