Residents use public comment period to urge improvements to transit, caregiver supports after Aging Your Way expo

Multiple residents used the public-comment period at the Sept. 11 Carroll County commissioners meeting to press the county on transportation and caregiver services after attending the county's Aging Your Way expo.

A public speaker said Carroll Transit had not staffed a presence at the expo and described how the elimination of a regular Eldersburg transit route in 2022 has increased out-of-pocket costs for some wheelchair-dependent residents. The commenter said one resident paid $186 for a single medical trip when paratransit could not guarantee timely pickup and described the household's financial strain: "She is paying about $180 each time she has to take her wheelchair bound doctor to Chesapeake Urology in Westminster because the Carol direct response is not able to guarantee that they can pick her up with an hour of her appointment being over."

Another resident urged the county to do more to help caregivers and people who fall into a 'gray area' of income that disqualifies them from existing supports. She described a household where a 69-year-old spouse is caring for a husband with a severe brain injury and paying roughly $1,200 a month for private caregiving because county supports are not available to them.

Commissioners and county staff praised the Aging Your Way expo's screenings and services and encouraged the public commenters to meet with aging-services staff to identify potential supports. Staff said they had been involved in the expo, that several county departments and volunteers supported the event, and that they would follow up with attendees seeking transportation and caregiver assistance.

No board action was taken during the public-comment period; commissioners asked staff to coordinate follow-up meetings with residents and the Department of Citizen Services and Aging.