Page 14 avvya yavvy eniiooravvy S iorn or vvy io iori by Jim Miller How to Find Travel Companions for Older Travelers Dear Savvy Senior, I am interested in fi nding some type of travel escort service to help my elderly parents fl y across the country. My son is getting married in the fall and would love for my parents to attend, but they’re both in their 80s with health issues, so they’ll need help getting there. Can you direct me to any travel services that can help us? Looking for Assistance Dear Looking, Traveling can be challenging under the best circumstances, but for seniors with medical problems, physical limitations or dementia it can be unmanageable. Fortunately, there are a bevy of companies today that provide traveling companion/escort services to help older adults with the rigors of travel. A good travel escort can provide your parents with transportation to and from the airport, manage their luggage, navigate and assist them through the airport, sit next to them on the fl ight, help them to their hotel and much more. Some companion services even provide personal care like medication management, dressing, bathing and feeding. And for those with specifi c medical needs, traveling nurse services are available too. But be aware that these services aren’t cheap. You will pay for the travel companion’s tickets, the companion’s hotel room if necessary, meals, incidentals and fees for the service. The price to accompany a client on a plane trip within the United States – including the companion fees and travel costs for all parties – can range anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 or more, depending on the fl ight transfers and length of the trip. To locate a travel companion service in your area, search online for “senior travel companion” or “senior travel escort,” followed by your parent’s city or state. Or use an experienced national service like Flying Companions (FlyingCompanions.com), Travel Helpers (GoTravelHelpers.com) or FirstLight Home Care (FirstLightHomeCare.com), which has a national network of franchises that provides in-home care for seniors and off ers travel companion programs in about 80 percent of their 190 operating territories. Or, for medical travel companions do a search for “traveling nurse escort” or “medical travel companion,” or checkout Travel Care and Logistics (YourFlightNurse.com), which provides registered nurses as escorts. If, however, your parents don’t require a lot of assistance, or if you can’t aff ord a travel escort, consider asking a trusted family member or friend that has some air travel experience. Vet the Service If you’re interested in hiring a travel companion service, there are a number of things you need to check into to ensure you get the right escort. First, if you parents require personal or medical care while traveling, fi nd out if the escort is trained to manage their healthcare needs. What sort of medical certifi cations do they have? (Nursing credentials? C.P.R. training? etc.) Also, fi nd out how many trips the companion has taken with clients. Have they completed trips with travelers like your parents? How long has the travel service company been in business? What is the company’s safety record? And what sort of insurance does it carry, and what exactly is covered? Also, get a quote breaking down exactly what you’ll be required to pay, in addition to the companion’s fees. And get a list of two or three clients/references who have used their service and call them. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. CITY OF MALDEN Office of the Controller September 16, 23, 2022 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 16, 2022 MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 2 her, and that she got to see us.” Postscript 1: On Thursday morning, August 25, Gina Spadafora-Hurley broke the news fi rst: Her beloved “Nana” had passed away the night before. It could not have been easy. She posted a beautiful tribute on Facebook which immediately drew hundreds of responses: “During the night we lost our amazing Nana, Alice Spadafora. She would have been 96 in just 8 days. Nana was still living on her own, cooking her homemade meals and still calling us to come pick up her homemade sauce and pizza. We surely will miss all those yummy meals made with nothing but pure love and homemade ingredients. We will never forget our summers down at the Cape house, our Saturday INVITATION FOR BID CITY OF MALDEN - OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER 2022 Lead Service Line Replacement - Contract Two (2) The City of Malden invites sealed bids in accordance with M.G.L. Ch. 30, Sec. 39M from Vendors for: Contract Documents will be available by email request at maldenengineer@ cityofmalden.org after: 10:00 A.M., Thursday September 22, 2022. Bidders are requested to email the Engineering’s Office their Company Name, Address, Email address, & Phone and what bid they are requesting. Bids must be submitted to the Office of the Engineering Department, 215 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 by 2:00 P.M. on or before Thursday October 06, 2022; bids will be publicly opened at this time. All bidders must be actively registered in sam.gov and the contract will only be awarded to a contractor that provides evidence of registration and their Unique Entity ID with their bid or promptly upon request after bids are received and prior to contract execution. All bids must be accompanied by a bid deposit in an amount that is not less than five percent (5%) of the value of the bid. Bid deposits, payable to the City of Malden, shall be either in the form of a bid bond, or cash, or a certified check on, or a treasurer’s or cashier’s check issued by, a responsible bank or trust company. Bidders are reminded that the bid deposit covers the City for damages when a bidder withdraws its bid after the bid submission date. Be advised that to the extent permitted by the law the City will retain all bid deposits for withdrawn bids. All bids are subject to the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 30, Section 39M. Wages are subject to minimum wage rates determined by the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 149, Sec. 26 to 27H. The schedule of wage rates applicable to this contract is included in the bidding documents. In addition, the prevailing wage schedule will be updated annually for all applicable projects lasting longer than one (1) year. You will be required to pay the rates set out in any updated prevailing wage schedule. Increases in prevailing wage schedules will not be the basis for change order requests. The successful bidder will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance demonstrating current coverage of the type and amounts set forth in the Project Manual. The successful bidder will be required to furnish both a Labor and Materials Payment Bond in the amount of 50% of the contract total within 10 days of notification of contract award. The costs of any bond and any insurance required in this Invitation for Bid are the responsibility of the bidder; such costs will not be reimbursed by City and should be included in your bid. All City of Malden bids are available by request. Addenda’s will be sent to the contact information provided. The City will reject any and all bids in accordance with the above referenced General Laws. In addition, the City reserves the right to waive minor informalities in any or all bids or to reject any or all bids (in whole or in part) if it be in the public interest to do so. In the event that any person wishes to attend a bid opening or pre-bid meeting, accessible and reasonable accommodations will be provided to persons requiring assistance. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the city of Malden’s ADA Coordinator, Maria Luise, at least two business days in advance of the meeting: 781-397-7000, Ext. 2005 or mluise@cityofmalden.org. mandatory lunches at the ‘bar,’ and her fried dough. Oh yeah, and how she snuck us scratchies under the table. We will miss all her hand outs of chocolate kisses even if she stuff ed them in our kids’ pockets and they ended up in the wash machine. She poured her heart and soul making Anthony’s of Malden the place it is MUSINGS | SEE PAGE 16
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