WHEN 87-year-old Wilma Bailey was told she had to go to
Melbourne for eye treatment, it immediately threw her into a small panic.
“I
used to live in Melbourne, about 50 years ago, so I’ve forgotten everything I
knew about it,” Ms Bailey said.
“They asked if anyone could take me. At the
time they couldn’t.”
Left to fend for herself on public transport, Mr Bailey
turned to the Traveller’s Aid Medical Companion Service.
The free service
provides trained volunteers to help sick, frail and vision impaired people get
to their Melbourne medical appointments after they arrive in Melbourne.
Ms
Bailey is one of 800 people who have used the service since its inception two
years ago.
More than 50 per cent of those assisted are older than 65 and 25
per cent have low or no vision.
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of The Guardian (14/6/13).
