Older Americans are one of the country’s fastest-growing demographics. The percentage of Americans aged 65 or older has a little more than quadrupled since 1900. This rapidly growing group of people not only brings increased wisdom, great stories, and plenty of life experience but also an ever-growing need for healthcare and transportation services – specifically non-emergency medical transportation.
Why is the Elderly Population Growing?
A prominent explanation of why the elderly population has been growing so rapidly is due to the generation of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). This generation is now between the ages of 58 and 76, reflecting their baby boom roots. The population increase brings benefits – increased education levels, a drop in poverty for 65 and older Americans, and high life expectancies. However, the challenges of having a large senior population aren’t lost in America today. One of the challenges caused by the high number of senior citizens is a steep rise in the demand for elder healthcare and transportation.
What is NEMT, and Why is it Important?
Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) is a service for individuals with healthcare needs in non-emergency situations that require a safe and reliable source of transportation. This service is used to move individuals to and from health care centers for appointments, studies, or other medical needs when circumstances preventing self-transportation are present. NEMT transport comes in many forms – wheelchair, stretcher, ambulatory, and rideshare options all fall under non-emergency medical transportation solutions. Depending on an individual’s medical and financial needs, utilizing these different NEMT forms becomes situational and varies from person to person.
Transportation barriers can affect any individual – anything from vehicle access to physical, mental, or cognitive limitations that would cause an individual the inability to drive or transport themselves to and from necessary medical care appointments. Due to these barriers, accessibility to NEMT services is imperative, specifically within older populations where transportation challenges are more prominent. Lack of transportation is one of the biggest reasons why an individual misses a medical appointment, and this delayed medical care can create a number of future problems. NEMT assures that a missed medical appointment or service will not be due to transportation concerns.
Medical emergencies are prevented with regular healthcare appointments and treatments. Without transportation to and from these services, an individual can’t have the medical access they require to live the healthiest life possible. The importance of NEMT can’t be denied, as ease of patient transportation is a direct factor in one’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.
NEMT Challenges
Population increase is extraordinarily apparent in the United States today. If only the population were the sole reason for NEMT needs! Several circumstantial issues can factor into the need for NEMT. Busy schedules don’t always allow for transporting loved ones to and from medical appointments. Increased attention to sick individuals in relation to daily medical advances creates higher needs for medical appointments. Unreliable vehicles or lack of a personal method of transportation can come into play in these situations as well.
Legal challenges also arise in the NEMT world. Each state has different guidelines and regulations for service providers to follow, whether that be certifications or driver evaluation. Therefore, NEMT service providers must comply with their state’s standards. Ensuring your NEMT provider is aware of and enforcing state rules and regulations is vital to a safe NEMT experience.
The last thing you would want when utilizing a NEMT service is late arrivals or slow response times—because of this, using just any service would be ill-advised. Doing your homework and finding reliable and responsive providers make all the difference. Patients have diverse needs, and utilizing experts that can help make the correct call on what kind of services would best influence the patient creates a safe and productive transportation experience.
NEMT and Elderly Communities
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the main goal for many senior individuals. While achieving this goal as a senior requires attention to diet, activities, and relationships, a large part of living a healthy life is consistent medical care and check-ups. Senior living solutions are quick to encourage regularly scheduled healthcare appointments. However, what happens when the time comes to actually get to those visits?
Elderly individuals face more transportation barriers than the rest of the population. Inability to drive, physical and mental limitations and access to vehicles are only some of the transportation barriers faced by this population. Seniors also generally require a higher attention to detail when it comes to healthcare. Regular medical visits are essential, and more healthcare benefits are utilized in this population. Because of these realities, the increasing population of seniors in the United States directly affects the increase in the need for non-emergency medical transportation. Whether you or a loved one falls into this population group, NEMT can be the answer to healthcare and safety concerns regarding transportation.
NEMT at Medi-Ops
Medi-Ops offers multiple patient transportation services and is proud to offer NEMT across the country for your loved ones. Personalized operations coordinators are available to determine the correct service and operator after considering your patient’s medical and financial needs. Obtain a free quote or schedule transportation today!
Proper healthcare requires proper transportation. Therefore, non-emergency medical transportation is undeniably a necessity in the medical industry. With population size on the rise, specifically the number of elderly individuals, NEMT is a growing need and requires attention to detail and personalization. Thankfully, the right services exist to address and recognize the medical transportation needs of each person and their loved ones.