Transportation is a major problem for many elderly people, especially if they live in the suburbs. They may be quite able to take care of themselves and their spouse at home, but the moment they lose their driver's license, their world contracts. Suddenly they are under "house arrest": dependent on family or friends, expensive taxis or inconvenient buses. One of the legs of their independent lives has been kicked out from under them, and the risk of decline increases. Isolation is a killer; staying connected to all the pieces of our lives is life-giving. 
As we live longer and healthier lives, it's important to have a transportation system that meets our needs as long as possible; so we can "age in place" in our familiar neighborhoods, surrounded by people we've known for decades who know us, too, and watch out for us. Riding SkyTran doesn't require quick reaction times or perfect eyesight and hearing; just enough mobility to climb the stairs to a mini-station 8 feet (2.5 meters) above the sidewalk (or no stairs at all in a wheelchair-accessible station or one I reach from inside a building) and being able to select where I want to go. Shopping, working, visiting friends and family; reaching all kinds of recreation and entertainment and educational opportunities; volunteering for causes we care about and pursuing our particular interests as long as mind and body hold out -- is a door to a better world.
Even when people do need help in their daily lives, SkyTran will make it easy for helpers to reach them. When her daughter can drop in at lunch because the ride from her office is now only 10 minutes; when a visiting nurse can see five or ten more patients in a day; when a poor single mother from the urban ghetto can reach a distant suburb in minutes to work as a home health aide -- help is on the way. SkyTran isn't just an issue for city planners and commuters; it will change lives.