COVINGTON — Senior Services of Northern Kentucky has received $4,000 for a popular program that helps older adults live independently.

        The 40-year-old non-profit agency's Transportation to Wellness program recently got $3,000 from the Cinergy Foundation.

        Contributing another $1,000 was the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project administered by Northern Kentucky University. That money is to provide extended transportation service for three clients who need chemotherapy or rehabilitation.

        The program enables residents 60 and older in eight Northern Kentucky counties to get to doctors' appointments (generally with two weeks' notice), nutrition sites and grocery stores on scheduled days. During the past fiscal year, the program had a $500,000 budget and served 938 seniors in eight counties.

        “The need for transportation service always exceeds available funding,” said Barbara Gunn, executive director of Senior Services of Northern Kentucky. “We are grateful that the Cinergy Foundation and the Northern Kentucky University students recognize how important this service is for older adults and have helped us improve the Transportation to Wellness program.”

        Donna Oehler, director of institutional advancement for Senior Services of Northern Kentucky, said the program is especially helpful to low-income seniors in rural areas who don't have family nearby and lack transportation.

        “Across the country, transportation is one of the No. 1 needs of seniors today,” Ms. Oehler said. “They typically can't afford cab fare, and the grocery store is too far away for them to walk.”

        Through access to regular health care, nutritious meals and treatment, seniors can avoid the health problems, depression and isolation plaguing so many older people, Ms. Oehler said.

        “In our eight-county market, there are 57,000 seniors, and that number is projected to double in the next 20 years and triple in the next 30,” Ms. Oehler said. “What we're trying to do is expand our resources to keep up with the growing numbers of elderly.”

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