Getting someone to an appointment

Just the lift

A driver. Community transport is the option most people miss — run by councils and community organisations, often subsidised, and the drivers are used to older passengers in a way a rideshare driver is not.

Right when the person is steady on their feet and can manage the appointment themselves.

Someone who stays

A support worker who goes in with them, waits, and brings them home. For anything medical this is usually the better answer, and often not for the reason people expect — the valuable part is somebody else hearing what the specialist said.

A different service at a different price, and subsidised more often than the lift is.

What to ask for

Ring My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, ask for a free assessment, and say you need help with transport. Ask specifically whether community transport runs in their area — it is local, it varies council to council, and it is rarely advertised well.

What AskFam does and does not do

AskFam works out what you need and points you at services that already exist. It does not employ anyone, does not arrange the work, and takes no fee or commission — from you or from them.

It also has not checked anybody. Where you see a business listed, that is a public listing, not a recommendation. Where somebody offers on a job you posted, that is them describing themselves, in their own words. Ask for what matters to you, and take your time about it.