Transportation may be provided by bus, taxi or specially-equipped vans. This is a free service that may be offered by church, civic, or fraternal organizations and is designed to help older people who live alone or who are alone during the day. The senior calls a phone number each day at a predetermined time, or a volunteer calls the senior. If the senior fails to call or can't be reached, someone is alerted to check on the situation. The National Association of Letter Carriers offers a variation of this program.
Seniors place a special sticker on their mailbox.
If mail starts to accumulate in the box, the letter carrier alerts authorities that the senior may be ill. Another variation is the Friendly Visitor program, in which a volunteer checks on seniors at regular intervals to make sure they're okay. Similar to child care centers, adult day care programs watch over the frail elderly when families are at work and school. These programs usually operate five days a week, from 9 to 5, and often provide transportation to and from the participant's home. They provide a range of activities for participants that are designed to keep them alert and engaged.