It can be difficult for people to accept they are losing their independence; it's equally challenging to find options to maintain said independence.

Transportation Options Network for Seniors (TONS) is a not-for-profit that works with Manitoba organizations to promote and improve transportation for seniors.

Helping seniors is a passion for Coordinator Samantha Rodeck, and feels it's crucial to discuss accessibility for seniors to combat ageism many of them face.

"There's a lot of ageist views and ageist perspectives around older adults driving. Realistically we know in a rural province people will continue to drive and people need to drive because we don't have the transport infrastructure to support people living in a community who don't drive."

TONS recently gave two presentations at the Winkler Senior Centre, the Driving Safely workshop and Scooter Safety. Rodeck says these workshops put a focus on the physical aspects of ageing and how it affects their driving; vision, hearing, physical ability, health conditions, medications, sleep, and the changes people can make to adjust to these areas either through addressing those issues or getting aid.

The scooter workshop emphasized understanding the difference between a motorized wheelchair and a mobility scooter, how to buy a scooter, and the laws designated by the highway safety act around these aids.

People using mobility scooters must abide by the following:

  • You must be on the sidewalk like a pedestrian, and be mindful of others around you;
  • If there are no sidewalks or the sidewalks are unsafe, drive on the road facing traffic.

"They are not meant to be like moped style scooter, and often people put them in the same category," says Rodeck. "It's really important for people to drive facing traffic because they need to be seen, and if people are driving like a small car we know it's so hard for big trucks, you can't see people on a small mobility scooter."

Accessibility needs to be something everyone needs to think about says Rodeck, those who use them need to learn how to use them safely and those around them need to learn this is a part of some people's lives, not just the elderly many people need mobility aids, and we need to be more accommodating and understanding.