More eligible for Handi-Transit

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This article was published 20/11/2010 (5530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

People with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia will be eligible to use Handi-Transit under policy changes intended to help Winnipeg Transit deal with the increasing demands of an aging population.

In 2005, the Public Interest Law Society complained to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission about Winnipeg’s Handi-Transit service on behalf of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba. The commission ordered the city to comply, resulting in negotiations that took another four years.

New Handi-Transit eligibility rules are finally coming forward under a policy that city council’s public works committee will scrutinize on Tuesday.

“It’s wonderful. This is an important service for a segment of society that needs it,” said Sylvia Rothney, head of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.

Approximately 18,000 people in Manitoba have either Alzheimer’s or an associated form of dementia, she said. That figure is expected to increase as the population ages.

The first baby boomers turned 65 this year, heralding a generation where the number of seniors will be greater than ever before.

Rothney said she does not expect every person with Alzheimer’s in Winnipeg will take advantage of the service.

“I don’t believe there will be a huge influx of people wanting to use Handi-Transit,” she said, noting some people with Alzheimer’s may continue to use regular transit with companions and some will not use transit at all.

Citizens with Alzheimer’s or similar forms of dementia who want to use Handi-Transit will be assessed to ensure their cognitive functioning is suitable to use public transit, Winnipeg Transit notes in a report to the public works committee.

The city plans to hire 21/2 new positions to handle the workload of assessing Handi-Transit users, as the eligibility rules for all passengers are slated to change.

Handi-Transit plans to tighten up the eligibility rules for people with mobility issues by only offering rides to some registrants during the winter, if an assessment demonstrates they do not require assistance when there’s no ice or snow on the streets.

As well, Handi-Transit registrants who only need the service for dialysis appointments would only be eligible to use the service to go to and from those appointments. People with temporary injuries will have their eligibility expire at some point, and permanent Handi-Transit registrants will be required to have their eligibility reassessed once every three years. These changes are designed to cut down on abuse of the system by people whose mobility has improved to the point where they do not require Handi-Transit.

Pending public works approval on Tuesday, the proposed changes will come before executive policy committee for approval on Dec. 8 and then council as a whole on Dec. 15.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca