At 82, Belmont resident Sally Sennott relies on the Council on Aging — not just for its many classes, where she has found a community, but also for its more practical services, such as transportation to her medical appointments.
“The older you get, the more important it is to get to your medical and dental appointments because your infrastructure is crumbling,” she said. “It’s very important to me not to have medical appointments be the focus of our life, but at the same time, I’m responsible for myself, and I have to remain healthy and happy.”
So, when Sennott first heard the closure of a local Belmont taxi service might impact ride availability, she was concerned about what that might mean for one of her upcoming dentist appointments.
“I found it affirming that the Council on Aging, or the Beech Street Center, was not cutting services, which it seemed like they were doing,” Sennott said. “The interim director, Brandon Fitts, called me and said the medical rides were going to continue, and he had made arrangements.”
According to Fitts, for many years, the Council on Aging partnered with Belmont Taxi Company to coordinate rides for seniors. He estimated that two to three rides were requested each week. The program was funded, in part, through donations.
Belmont Taxi closed over the summer, and its phone number has since been disconnected.
“We are picking up the slack on the program now,” Fitts said. “If someone has a medical appointment of some sort — as long as we have a couple of days’ notice — we’re able to accommodate them with our normal, in-house drivers. We’re still providing the service; we’re just spread really thin.”
Fitts said his department has contacted as many as 10 different taxi services, but it has not had any luck so far.
“We’ve got a couple more leads,” he said. “We’re hoping to reinstate the program as soon as possible; we’re just waiting to find a company to partner with us.”