Tips for Traveling with Seniors During the Holidays
With quality home care, your senior loved one can avoid the stress of holiday travel
The holiday season is a happy time when people in Jenkintown, PA and across the world travel to visit and spend time with loved ones. However, travel is not always enjoyable – and it can be downright unpleasant during the winter. When you combine busy roads, unfavorable travel conditions, and other factors such as changing plans and searching for accommodation, traveling can be hard on a lot of people, especially seniors. If you are planning on traveling during the holidays with an aging parent or relative, quality home care experts recommend that you prepare well for your travels and provide your loved one with extra care.
Matters can get even more complicated when traveling with a senior who has issues with memory. Older adults with any type of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, may feel particularly uneasy when changing their daily routines. Namely, they thrive when they have a daily schedule to follow and altering that schedule can trigger frustration, anxiety, and even aggression. As experts from quality home care point out, traveling with a loved one with dementia can affect family caregivers too, leaving them at their wit’s ends. Luckily, there are several ways that can help family members reduce the stress their aging loved one may experience while traveling during the holidays.
Develop a plan
When traveling, it is important to have a plan. When traveling with a senior loved one, having a plan is a necessity. It is a good idea to develop a travel schedule and discuss it with your loved one. Not only will this allow your aging parent or relative to know how your travels will look like but it will make them feel included. If they are feeling well prepared for the tip, they are likely to feel less anxious or stressed when traveling.
Get organized
Experts from quality home care stress that organization is key to maximizing comfort while traveling with a senior loved one. You should, for example, organize your parent or relative’s medications and store them somewhere where they are easily accessible, such as your purse or backpack. Additionally, you should make copies of all significant documents, including your loved one’s medical records, prescription doses, and medication schedules. These documents can come in super handy in case of an emergency, enabling you to react properly and promptly whatever happens.
Ask for help & support
If you are traveling by plane, you may want to consider informing the airline about any special requests concerning your loved one. Many airlines offer special rows for passengers with disabilities, which can facilitate traveling with a senior who uses a wheelchair, walker or another type of mobility aid. If you are staying at a hotel during your trip, you should contact hotels and restaurants to make sure they can accommodate your loved one’s mobility, dietary, and other needs.
Take your time
Quality home care experts emphasize that it is crucial not to rush anything while preparing for traveling with a senior loved one. If you are nervous, your parent or relative is likely to get nervous as well, which can cause stress and discomfort for both of you. To make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible, plan for delays and other unforeseen circumstances during your travel.
Holiday traveling with a senior loved one doesn’t have to be too hard – just follow these tips and you and your parent or relative can enjoy a smooth, stress-free trip during the holiday season.
To learn more about quality home care solutions for seniors in Jenkintown, Abington, Ambler, Huntingdon Valley, Lafayette Hill, Horsham, Lower Gwynedd, and throughout Eastern Montgomery County, PA, call Visiting Angels Jenkintown today at (215) 938-7201.