How are Vermonters staying social after they can no longer drive?

Brave Little State

Not being able to drive in this state can be isolating — especially for older Vermonters navigating the challenges of aging.

Ninety-two-year-old Gerry Quinlan has found a way, with a network of friends that can drive her to their weekly coffee dates in Essex.

But she’s wondering how others do it, so she came to us with this question:

"How do you maintain a social life in Vermont once you can no longer drive?"

Join us as we ride along with Gerry and others who have given up their keys, but not their communities and friendships.

For a full transcript of this episode and photos from our reporting, check out our web post.

This episode was reported by Burgess Brown. Editing and production from the rest of the BLS team: Sabine Poux and Josh Crane. Additional editing from Erica Heilman. Our intern is Lucia McCallum. Angela Evancie is our Executive Producer. Theme music by Ty Gibbons; other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Special thanks to Lilias Ide, Andrea Stauffeneker, Laura Brooke, Martina Anderson and Andrew Bernstein.

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Brave Little State is a production of Vermont Public and a proud member of the NPR Network.