Older Adults and Residents with Disabilities Invited to Discuss Improving County Transportation

How easily can older adults and residents with disabilities get around in Sonoma County? How often do they forgo important trips because they lack transportation? What are the local transportation challenges, successes and gaps in services?

Older adults age 60+ and residents with disabilities are invited to discuss these questions and share their experiences at two upcoming meetings hosted by the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging (AAA):

• Wednesday, February 19, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Petaluma People Services Senior Café, 211 Novak Drive, Petaluma
  
  
• Friday, February 21, 10 a.m.-noon, Vintage House Senior Center, 264 First Street East, Sonoma
  
  
• Wednesday, March 25, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Drive, Rohnert Park
  
  
• Thursday, March 26, 10 a.m.-noon, RRA/West County Senior Resource Center, 15010 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville

The community’s input will become part of the Sonoma County Connected Communities Transportation Study. To register, call (707) 565-5903 or email aaa@schsd.org. For future discussion group dates, visit the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging website.

“In the 2016-2020 AAA Community Report, 57% of Sonoma County older adults and persons with disabilities stated they are concerned about access to local transportation,” says County of Sonoma Adult and Aging Division Director Paul Dunaway. “It’s vital to get input from older adults and people with disabilities to plan a transportation system that makes it easier to get to health appointments, the grocery store and community events. Better transportation systems also allow better access to job options and financial opportunities for all residents.” 

From January-March 2020, the AAA will host several discussion groups throughout the County under a grant from the state Department of Transportation, Caltrans, to study how well local transportation systems serve older adults age 60+ and residents with disabilities.