Without Roger, a St. Luke’s volunteer, Al says his health would not have improved as much as it has. Roger drives 20 miles from his home in East Haddam to pick up Al at his East Hampton apartment, drives 60 miles to the Veterans Affairs clinic in West Haven, then brings Al home again. My philosophy is “That at the end of the day, your little corner of the world should be better for your being in it”, explained Roger.

Seniors call St. Luke’s and schedule a ride with one of our volunteers who use his or her own vehicle. The senior is picked up at his or her front door and helped into the car. Our volunteers drive our seniors to out of the area appointments to facilities such as Yale New Haven, the Veterans’ Hospital in Rocky Hill, and Hartford hospitals. The senior is accompanied to large medical facilities and may invite the volunteer to act as a “second pair of ears” to make sure information from the doctor is understood. The senior does not have to wait, sometimes in a weakened state (after a chemotherapy treatment) to be picked up by a van or a bus, but is immediately driven home. This is a free program.