For seniors and individuals with disabilities or life-threatening medical conditions transportation can be tricky.  Ahwatukee resident Paul Muench and his wife, Kirsten started Gentle Turns after Paul’s father became disabled and his mother passed away.  Paul tells Greet Ahwatukee Foothills, “I realized there was a significant need for safe, reliable, respectful, and secure transportation for individuals needing extra assistance.”  

Together, Paul and Kirsten have over 40 years of healthcare experience.  They have worked in Medicare, orthopedics and have lived in California and New York.  The couple has been blown away by their new company’s growth.  In the past 18 months, Gentle Turns has expanded from a single vehicle operation to a fleet of six vans and eight part-time employees.  Last month, Gentle Turns completed 350 rides.

Gentle Turns specializes in high-level, non-emergency transportation.  The company offers wheelchair, stretcher, and Broda chair assistance.   Drivers are trained using the QStraint wheelchair and stretcher securement system which follows NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) standards.  All drivers are CPR, and first aid certified, and cameras are installed in every Gentle Turns vehicle for client safety and security.  

Many clients who use Gentle Turns are battling life-altering diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, stroke, or ALS.  Gentle Turns provides empathy and prides itself on building connection with its clients and not simply serving as a drop-off and pick-up service. 

 

Kirsten tells the story of a husband and wife who used Gentle Turns to receive cancer treatments at Mayo Clinic an hour drive from their home, “We would spend a minimum of two hours each trip just visiting.  The gratitude and relief they expressed knowing they had reliable transportation was priceless.  Paul and I got to know the couple on a personal basis and took them out to see Christmas lights in December.  Sadly, the husband passed away earlier this year; experiencing the magic of the holidays was one of the last joys they shared together.”

Not all rides at Gentle Turns are for medical appointments.  A client contacted the company requesting transportation to a family reunion.  Paul and Kirsten learned the client had not left her room in two years due to advanced health complications which required her to lie on her stomach. Gentle Turns was able to accommodate her using a convertible chair that lays flat.  The client arrived at her grandmother’s home where 30 ecstatic family members came to greet her.  Kirsten recalls, “There was so much emotion and excitement surrounding her.  She was in tears, her family was in tears, and honestly, so were we.”

Gentle Turns provides transportation to anyone, almost anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area.  Kirsten explains, “We’ve taken clients to The Arabian Horse Show at WestWorld in Scottsdale, casinos, graduations, weddings, and funerals.  We were the carriage that delivered a beautiful 18-year-old girl, confined to a wheelchair, to her high school prom.  We transported a client to meet her family at her favorite restaurant to celebrate her 103rd birthday, and have a regular wheelchair client who utilizes our service to meet friends for lunch three times a week.”  

Gentle Turns is booked on a need for transportation basis, no service commitment or membership is required.  The company aims to be user-friendly, personal, and compassionate in providing support to seniors and others with limitations to help maintain independence.   If you or someone you know could benefit from using the transportation services of Gentle Turns, simply pick up the phone and call.

 
Gentle Turns