Question for Caretakers: Traveling With Alzheimer's
Here's another question for all the caretakers out there, and feel free to link to any relevant postings you have on this issue: I'm looking for information and stories about traveling with someone with Alzheimer's, specifically someone in later stages of the disease. There's a lot of talk about trying to take Mom to her family reunion (on her mother's side) and/or to Florida to the condo that she'll inherit from her Mom (something she used to do yearly). I'm worried about the work of traveling with her and that a different environment will worsen symptoms of the disease. I'm curious for those of you who have done it, what has worked and what have been some of your mistakes? Thanks to everyone who replies :)
posted by Karma @ 8:42 PM
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4 Comments:
If you are flying you should definitely make the attendants aware that you are traveling with a person who has Alzheimer's. If you are traveling by car, make sure that you have extra mechanisms in place to keep them in the car while you are driving. In her earlier stages Grandma used to fiddle with the buttons, locks, nobs, mirror, everything. If someone is going with you and can sit in the back seat with your mother and keep them contained that is the best solution.
Thank you for the advice, Holly. If we take Mom to Florida, we'll fly and then still have to drive an hour. I hadn't thought about notifying the flight attendants, but that makes a LOT of sense.
I'm ashamed to admit that traveling with my mother has become so hard that I refuse to do anything but the short distance traveling from Prescott to Phoenix, anymore. Part of the difficulty has to do with her desire not to experience the actual traveling, anymore, only the visits; which is, of course, impossible. I'm surprised not more people responded. I was hoping they would; and maybe solve some of my problems with travel and Mom.
I probably need to advertise this post on a carnival or something. The issue got somewhat sidestepped for me because I decided that I can't deal with Mom's family to take her to that reunion. I'm still considering taking her to Florida to her Mom's condo with my Dad's help, but I don't think that would be until this summer, so I've been putting it off until I have more time and can see if Mom seems up for it.
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