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Identify the social and cultural factors specific to the client that affect the use of transportation services.
Our client faces several challenges in accessing reliable transportation services, and the broader social and cultural factors contribute to these difficulties. To begin, the fact that our client is an older female from a lower socioeconomic status who has both mental and physical challenges can impact how she perceives herself and may believe how others see her. Our client is an older female with limited financial means, so finding reliable, free, or affordable transportation is critical to receiving the medical care she needs. Additionally, she has significant
mental health needs that, due to the historical, social stigma surrounding mental health, potentially could affect her comfort level with transportation providers outside of friends and family or with transportation providers who are caring and helpful. Our client also has physical disabilities, which can be an obstacle to finding transportation equipped to meet her needs. Finally, while the client has historically had good experiences with the NEMT, she has recently experienced issues with meeting her recommended appointments due to being missed for pick-up
or forgotten at appointments. As a result, this can cause the client not to feel respected or seen.
Comprehensively identify social and cultural factors that impact the use of transportation services in general.
A huge factor to consider is where an individual lives, such as in metropolitan, urban, suburban, or rural areas. This is a huge consideration when exploring the social and cultural factors that may impact transportation services and usage of said services. The same social and cultural factors related to socioeconomic status, mental health stigma, and physical disabilities contribute to the broader picture of transportation services. Affordability impacts individuals 2
