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Traveling Tips: Seniors with Dementia

People with dementia often struggle with changes in routine, new environments, noise, and fatigue. Most dementia patients do best with a routine that instills a sense of safety and confidence. Most people find traveling to be exciting or enjoyable, but it can be a confusing, stressful, and exhausting experience for someone who is cognitively impaired.<br>http://www.homecareassistancefortmyers.com/

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Traveling Tips: Seniors with Dementia

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  1. Traveling Tips: Seniors with Dementia

  2. While traveling with someone who has dementia can be difficult, someone with Alzheimer's or dementia can still participate in activities like traveling with proper planning and care. People with dementia often struggle with changes in routine, new environments, noise, and fatigue. Most dementia patients do best with a routine that instills a sense of safety and confidence. Most people find traveling to be exciting or enjoyable, but it can be a confusing, stressful, and exhausting experience for someone who is cognitively impaired. The following tips will help you make travel safer and more enjoyable for a loved one with dementia.

  3. Take precautions against wandering • A new environment and the stress that comes with it can trigger wandering, even in seniors in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Make sure your loved one isn't left unguarded and consider enrolling in a GPS program like Comfort Zone that helps you remotely monitor your loved one's location or alerts you if your loved one wanders too far. Register your loved one with a local safe return program and make sure your loved one wears an ID tag.

  4. Keep essentials on hand • Keep a bag of essentials close by with medication, a travel itinerary, a change of clothing, activities, snacks, and water. Activities that may help distract your loved one from t he confusion and noise include audio books with comfortable headphones and photo albums. Make sure you have your loved one's medical information, emergency contact information, and copies of important documents as well. If you plan to fly, make sure all essentials are kept in a carry-on bag.

  5. Keep everything as familiar as possible • Seniors with dementia do best when they are in a familiar setting. While this can be challenging when you're on the road or flying, do your best to keep things familiar. You can do this by bringing your loved one's favorite pillow and sticking to normal bedtimes and lunch times. If possible, stick with travel options your loved one is already familiar with. For example, avoid introducing him or her to flying for the first time if you can avoid it.

  6. Plan a detailed itinerary • As you plan your travel itinerary, try to anticipate everything that will happen and your loved one's potential responses. Consider the average day and remember that the experience will be more challenging than usual. If you will stay with family members or friends, let them know ahead of time what they can expect. Contact the hotel and airline to make arrangements for needs. Even if your loved one normally walks, a wheelchair waiting at the airport may be helpful to avoid the stress of a long day of walking through terminals.

  7. Be realistic about your expectations • Carefully consider your loved one's strengths and limitations before planning travel. It's also important to be realistic about your own limitations. If you are traveling alone with your loved one, will you be able to keep up if he or she wanders away or can't fall asleep at the hotel? If possible, have another companion accompany you for help. Have a discussion with your loved one's doctor for recommendations about what you can expect. The physician may also recommend certain medications like anti-anxiety medication to make the trip easier.

  8. Keep travel plans as simple as possible • Sticking with known travel destinations that involve few changes to your loved one's routine as best. Regardless of where your travel takes you, attempt to keep plans simple. Avoid flights that require tight connections as you cannot anticipate how your loved one will react in the airport. Stick with as few flight changes and layovers as possible with drive time or flight time limited to four hours or less, when possible.

  9. Contact us • Home Care Assistance is the most renowned name in the industry of Home Care. We are a dedicated team, focused on providing the best and finest Caregiving options to the seniors of Fort Myers. • For more information, contact us at (239) 449-4701. • Web : http://www.homecareassistancefortmyers.com/

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