About this service
Alberta Maple Care’s caregivers help clients get to appointments: a caregiver can drive the client to and from the appointment, go with them door through door, and wait with them. It is booked separately from regular visits, with travel time and mileage charged separately.
Door-through-door support for medical appointments, tests, shopping, and community programs. We plan the trip, provide safe assistance from the home to the vehicle and into the destination, stay with the client if needed, and bring them safely back with key notes for family. Our teams use safe transfer techniques (seat height, foot placement, pivot/turn, gait-belt when appropriate) and fall-prevention practices (clear paths, deliberate pacing, watch for dizziness) to reduce risk around vehicles and curbs. Each booking is a minimum of 3 hours at our daytime rate of $37.50 per hour; travel time, mileage at $0.75 per kilometre, and parking are itemized separately on the invoice, beside the care time. In Alberta’s public system, home care focuses on personal care and health-linked homemaking, so a ride to an appointment is normally paid for privately. This is that private service: Alberta Maple Care provides it, booked separately from regular visits (confirm any exceptions to the public rule with your case manager).
Weighing the public options first? Our guide to senior transportation in Calgary covers Calgary Transit Access, wheelchair-accessible taxis and volunteer driver programs, and when a caregiver who drives and waits makes sense.
Who it’s for
- Clients who want supported travel to clinics, labs, rehab, day programs, faith/cultural events, or essential shopping.
- People with mobility, balance, or cognitive changes who benefit from calm coaching, hands-on escort, and safety checks before/after trips. Guidance on safe car entry/exit and fall prevention is especially helpful for older adults.
- Families who need reliable appointment advocacy—someone to sit in (with consent), capture instructions, and relay them accurately.
What’s included
Trip planning & reminders
Confirm appointment details, building access, parking/curbside options, and any paperwork; set calendar reminders.
Door-through-door escort
Assist from inside the home to the vehicle and into the destination (clinic, lab, office), using safe car-transfer techniques to protect client and caregiver.
Mobility & fall-prevention support
Gait-belt use when appropriate, steadying at curbs/ramps, planned rest stops, and watch-outs for orthostatic dizziness; follow provincial fall-prevention tips.
Appointment advocacy (with consent)
Check in, wait with the client, take plain-language notes on next steps/medications, and share a brief summary with family.
Medication & personal items check
Ensure mobility aids, glasses, hearing devices, ID, and medication lists travel with the client.
Shopping & carry-in
Execute lists, handle payment with the client, and bring items into the home; put away perishables safely.
Return-home safety scan
Confirm doors/locks, lights, and pathways; encourage hydration and rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is transportation covered by CDHCI or public home care?
CDHCI focuses on funding authorized service hours for personal care and essential health-linked homemaking; appointment transportation on its own is generally not a funded home-care service. Families pay for the ride privately; Alberta Maple Care provides it, booked separately from regular visits, and it sits beside funded care visits in the same week. (The province funds the home-care program broadly; confirm specifics with your case manager.)
How do you keep transfers in and out of the car safe?
We follow step-by-step techniques: position the seat for height, cue the client to back up until they feel the seat, sit first, then pivot legs in/out—avoiding unsafe lifting. We steady, never yank, and use a gait-belt when appropriate.
What do you do to prevent falls around curbs and parking lots?
We pace the movement, watch for dizziness on standing, choose the safest route, keep hands free for balance, and address hazards like poor lighting or ice—consistent with Alberta fall-prevention advice.
Do you provide wheelchair transport?
Yes, for escort and support. For clients who require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or stretcher transport, we coordinate the appropriate vendor and remain as the in-person escort if desired.
How are travel charges shown on the invoice?
They’re itemized separately: travel time, mileage at $0.75 per kilometre, and parking or tolls, each on its own line beside the care time. Each booking is a minimum of 3 hours at the daytime rate.