Lynn, GLSS aim to keep seniors active

LYNN – A steep increase in The Ride fares caused many seniors on fixed incomes to put the brakes on visits to the senior center, but a pilot program launched between Greater Lynn Senior Services and the city has eased some of the financial burden.”We got involved in a pilot program last year after the impact of the fare increase,” said GLSS Executive Director Paul Crowley.Last year amid across the board fare hikes the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority doubled the price of The Ride from $2 for a one-way trip to $4. Crowley said the $8 increase for a round trip ride proved to be too much for many seniors who began to cut back on trips.”The most important thing we do is make sure people have the ability to move around,” he said. “When the fares went up they started cutting visits because they have to go to the doctor, they couldn’t cut those visits.”Crowley said he believes the inability to move about as freely as you’d like can be a death sentence for many seniors. It keeps them trapped in their homes, which can lead to loneliness and depression, he added.”It’s a negative impact on self worth and efficiency and health,” he said.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said she understood the bind Crowley was in and offered to help.”Originally we suggested trying to subsidize the cost each way but we figured that would be a little difficult to implement because it would involve state agencies,” Kennedy said.Instead they decided the city would simply pay for the return trip home.”They pay to get themselves here and the city pays to get them home,” Crowley said.Crowley said initially they had only five or six seniors apply for the program but it is now up to more than a dozen. Most of the seniors live in Lynn but Crowley said he doesn’t limit it to the within the city limits.”We had one former water/sewer guy who lived right over the border in Revere,” Crowley said. “He used to come every day but when the fares went up he stopped coming. So we drop him off at no charge.”Kennedy said the program is funded out of Community Development’s budget and last year cost about $18,000.”It’s well worth it to keep the seniors active,” Kennedy said.