Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/818598
t m c » p u l s e | m ay 2 0 1 7 4 Along for the Ride A new venture between Uber and Family Tree gives older adults in Houston a way to get around Ellen McDonald calls Family Tree to set up an Uber ride to CVS to get a pneumonia vaccine. Nicole Spencer, a Family Tree caregiver, accompanies McDonald to her vaccination appointment and helps her find the items she needs at the pharmacy. B y C h r i s t i n e H a l l W hen her husband went on dialysis six years ago, Ellen McDonald moved in with her daughter, Lisa, in an effort to share transportation. McDonald's macular degeneration, an eye disease that restricts her field of vision, keeps her off the road. When she needs to go to the doctor or pick up a pre- scription, she has to rely on Lisa or a friend. So McDonald was eager to try a new program that her in-home senior care provider, Family Tree, was testing with transportation company Uber. The RideWithFamilyTree service provides door-to-door transportation—unaccompanied or with a professional caregiver/nurse—for older adults to get to medical appointments and outings. The service launched in Houston in April. On a recent Thursday, McDonald, a retired nurse who taught gerontology at UTHealth, needed to visit CVS Pharmacy to get a pneumonia vaccine and to pick up a few items, including eye vitamins. She called the Family Tree concierge service and told them she needed to set up a ride to CVS, about a mile from her apartment. Accompanying her was Nicole Spencer, a care professional with Family Tree. Family Tree asked McDonald for her home address and the address of the pharmacy. Then the concierge service called Uber and texted McDonald to say that the driver was three minutes away. The service also told her what type of car would be picking her up and gave her the driver's phone number. This was McDonald's second experience with RideWithFamilyTree. "I love it," she said. "Last week, I went to the doctor." Daniel Gottschalk, co-founder and president of Genova Health, Family Tree's parent company, said the program was started because access to transpor- tation is "a huge problem" for older adults in Houston. Harris County is 1,778 square miles wide. "Houston is so spread out, and this way, they have door-to-door access," he said. In addition, adult children aren't that willing to talk to aging parents about the best time to take away the keys. "About 40 percent of adults with aging parents would rather talk about funeral plans than taking away the car keys," Gottschalk said. "It's a freedom no one wants to give up." About 40 percent of adults with aging parents would rather talk about funeral plans than taking away the car keys. It's a freedom no one wants to give up. — DANIEL GOTTSCHALK Co-founder and president of Genova