The work of the Transportation Department of CCACC Adult Day Healthcare Center is a systemic, tedious, and changeable task with high safety requirements. There are currently more than 200 members distributed throughout various senior apartments in Montgomery County. Most of them walk with a cane, rely on trolleys or wheelchairs. They need assistance to get on and off the vehicles. Some seniors also need a lift on the vehicle. Whenever picking up and dropping off seniors at their doors, drivers always help them take their personal bags and tools, and promptly apply the hand brake, so that the seniors can stand firmly, and then slowly escort the seniors to the door of their homes or our center.
In recent years, the number of seniors joining CCACC-ADHC has been increasing. In order to meet the transportation needs of seniors, the center has prepared more than 30 vehicles of different sizes and usages. At the same time, in order to ensure driving safety, a car maintenance team has been specially set up to ensure driving safety, and the supervisor of the Fleet Maintainance Department, Mr. Zhu, is responsible for daily vehicle cleaning, installation, dismantling, and general maintenance work, thus ensuring the safety of driving and the tidiness and security of vehicles.
Every day of each spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the Transportation Department arrange for seniors to see family doctors, specialists, and even ultrasound appointment in the early morning, especially considering they need to deliver meals to seniors every day during the pandemic.
Daily operation is extremely busy. But everyone responds to the ever-changing flow operation very well. For example, if some seniors don't want to take the original route back to their home, or temporarily return to their kids' home, or take other routes to visit other seniors. The Transportation Department never says no to us seniors.
In response to the ever-changing situations, Mrs. Yu, the supervisor of the Transportation Department, always spends her personal time and efforts dealing with different requests with care and patience. Some seniors always wait at the door ahead of time to go home, which causes congestion and danger. Thus, it is regulated that seniors can't get on the vehicles until their names are called by the staff.
Every time the elders leave the center, Mrs. Yu always uses the speaker to announce: "Everyone prepares. We are starting to leave. Please don’t hurry, pay attention to safety, and get on the vehicle in order. The next bus is going to the XXX apartment. Vehicle number XX. Mr./Mrs. XXX who is named, please get on the vehicle number XX." Then the elderly will stand up on their seats, get escorted by the staff, and get into the vehicle with laughter and joy. When the buses are slowly moving, all staff standing outside the center and the elders sitting in the buses wave their hands and say goodbye to each other.
When the staff are outside sending seniors away, you can always find Mrs. Yu onsite, commanding and dispatching the vehicles, and reminding the elders to be safe and not to cross the yellow pillars, sometimes holding the speaker in one hand and supporting the elder in the other. Mrs. Yu is straightforward, down-to-earth, approachable, and responsible for work. She is loved and praised by the elderly.
Mr. Yu, the deputy supervisor of the Transportation Department, not only assists the whole team in all tasks but also sets a wonderful example to everyone. Every time he delivers meals to seniors, he always greets us by saying "Nice to see you today! Please take the meal and enjoy!" Before leaving, he always says goodbye to us: "Take care! Goodbye!" How heartwarming!
The drivers are not only our meal delivery guys but also our correspondents and postmen. They help bring medicines, diapers, activity instructions, handicrafts materials, painting materials, and so on to us. During the pandemic, they insist on working every day to serve us.
What they have done has deeply moved our seniors. We love our home, CCACC-ADHC!
