# Onward Door-Through-Door Companion Rideshare Technology to Improve Care for Older Adults and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD)

> **NIH NIH R44** · ONWARD HEALTH, INC · 2024 · $1,165,908

## Abstract

Abstract
Social determinants of Health (SDoH) drive 80% of health outcomes and transportation is the
third most prominent SDoH in the United States, impacting nearly all other social determinants.
A lack of access to easy, reliable transportation causes over 5.8 million Americans to miss their
healthcare appointments each year (Wolfe et al, 2020). Traditional transportation solutions like
curb-to-curb rideshare, taxis, and buses are often unreliable or unsafe for vulnerable
populations including older adults with mobility impairments and those suffering from Alzheimer’
disease or Alzheimer’ disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) (Fraade-Blanar et al, 2021). In the
United States, 5.7 million people suffer from AD/ADRD, which are projected to grow to 13.8
million (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). Additionally, 26% of individuals with AD/ADRD live
alone in the community (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). Onward, a California based small
business, has developed a technology enabled door-through-door rideshare service with a
companion driver trained to support older adults and individuals with mild to moderate
AD/ADRD. Drivers are certified in CPR and first aid, and have received training in supporting
patients with AD/ADRD or post-sedation care, elder abuse and neglect prevention,
communicating with special needs patients, infection control, fall avoidance, cultural humility,
HIPAA, and other subjects that enable them to safely and effectively transport riders, particularly
older adults with AD/ADRD.
Further, transportation is the number one type of caregiving support provided in the United
States. Eight out of 10 caregivers consider transportation a primary responsibility and 40% of
them spend five or more hours per week providing and coordinating transportation (AARP;
NADTC 2018). This demonstrates the demand for transportation solutions and the opportunity
to reduce caregiver stress with transportation interventions. In this Phase II project, we aim to
(1) conduct a RCT to evaluate the impact of door-through-door rideshare services with a trained
companion driver on missed appointments for older adults and patients with AD/ADRD, (2)
enhance the rider-driver matching capabilities of our technology platform, and (3) to
demonstrate the ability to replicate the solution in other geographies that have different ride
density and rider demographics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10921690
- **Project number:** 1R44AG085945-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** ONWARD HEALTH, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Kimberly Wachter Petty
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,165,908
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-25 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10921690

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10921690, Onward Door-Through-Door Companion Rideshare Technology to Improve Care for Older Adults and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (1R44AG085945-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10921690. Licensed CC0.

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