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As the city of Mesquite worries on how to make ends meet, many of its elderly wonder how they’ll get around once the city cuts its only full-time worker dedicated to the Senior Alert program.
“We’re kind of antsy about it because we don’t know,” said Betty Pettijohn.
Pettijohn said she is a regular rider on MTED, the city’s bus service for the elderly and disabled, but with the increasing need for more doctor visits and no family nearby to help, she said she was hoping Senior Alert might be able to help.
However, with a $6 million shortfall looming on the horizon, Mesquite officials said they’re as antsy as Pettijohn.
“Everybody is affected,” city spokesman Greg Sowell said. “There are no raises for city employees. Less money for equipment. Everybody was told they had to make do less money.”
With shrinking sales and property tax revenues, 31 vacant positions will remain unfilled “until we’re through the monetary crisis,” he said.
Still that isn’t enough and the city had to cut some full time positions - including the one that staffed Senior Alert. The other three include adult literacy, recreation summer track and youth services.
Even with those cuts, the city only is able to save $300,000, Sowell said.
The Senior Alert position was targeted because the number of clients didn’t warrant the expense of a full-time employee, Sowell said.
According to city records, Senior Alert had 47 clients and 87 requests for services.
Many seniors say they will have to shift their transportation dependency to MTED - Mesquite Transportation for the Elderly and Disabled, a federally funded program.
During the 2007-08 budget year, MTED made almost 40,000 trips.
City officials said MTED will not be affected by the cuts. It will continue to keep 12 busses on the road from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but the program won’t be expanded either.
Although the MTED busses have schedules and routes that include short shopping trips and transportation to senior centers for some parts of the city, many complained that the limited service would not be able to take them where they need to go, when they need to go.
MTED transportation typically is limited to medical appointments and to work. Many times appointments have to be made two and three weeks in advance, something that seniors in fragile health say isn’t always possible.
If it’s just going to be MTED, that’s going to put a heavier load that it can’t cover all the needs.
Senior Alert is a referral program that includes some transportation services.
“MTED is really kind of tight getting a ride for a wheelchair,” said Linda Harrell, a regular MTED rider.
Harrell, who uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, said I was told that with a wheel chair, you could get in right away. But if they’re going to add senior alert citizens [to MTED] also, then there’s going to be a lot a lot more wheelchairs. They may have enough busses, but they don’t have enough drivers to take care of that many citizens at one time.”
Cliff Keheley, director of housing and community services, said the city is working on a way to expand the service and make it more convenient.
MTED already has added a couple of part time drivers, Keheley said.
And as long as seniors - and their doctors - can be flexible with appointment times, rides often can be booked with only two day’s notice.
“They have to work with their doctor and tell them they are on public transpiration,” Keheley said. “Most are willing to work around our schedule.”
Keheley added that the city is trying to organize a group of volunteers who will pick up prescriptions and deliver them to people’s doors. One driver already makes a routine trip to Parkland Hospital, and Keheley said he’s looking for others who’ll make similar trips to other pharmacies.
Still, those that don’t use Senior Alert but do use MTED worry that an influx of new riders will make it even harder to catch a ride.
Keheley said MTED soon will be equipped with mobile data terminals making it easier to handle a higher volume of riders.
“With mobile data terminals, we will be able to more efficiently schedule and take more people,” he said. “We’re hoping for same day scheduling. We’re trying to adjust all routes that eventually will lead to expanding to different services. We hope t to expand the service to go to the grocery store and pharmacy,” he said.
While the city is eliminating the Senior Alert staff position, the city still hopes to maintain some level of service under the Senior Alert banner.
“We think we can provide service without the full time person,” said Cliff Keheley, director of housing and community services.
The city will continue to provide referrals to services such as Meals on Wheels and the Dallas Area on Aging, Keheley said. Seniors also can call 211, a statewide direct referral service, for help.
The city also will try to continue to provide ride services by relying on volunteer drivers. However, the scheduling process will be different from what seniors are used to, he said.
“It’s going to be different,” he said, “But we’re going to help as many as we can.”
In the meantime, the city is looking for volunteer drivers.
Potential volunteers should contact the city’s volunteer coordinator at 972-329-8331. They must be able to provide their own transportation and pass a background check and a physical.
To comment on this story contact Lynn Proctor Windle at lwindle@acnpapers.com
