Traveling with Dementia
by Sheryl Karas M.A.
It's vacation time! Have you been putting off having a summer vacation because it seems too difficult to do with a dementia patient? Don't give up! If your patient is still early enough to enjoy a day at Cindy's Celebrations or an afternoon with the grandchildren a short vacation might be just what the doctor ordered. Some tips to make it possible:
1. Bring along a friend or family member, even an older grandchild, to double the fun and the number of hands available to help. After enough experience traveling together your travel companions will probably feel confident enough to take charge of your patient themselves for part of a day so you can get time alone and have some real time off! I know people who have made this work for years so give it a try!
2. If your patient still remembers his or her childhood, try picking a favorite vacation spot from that time. The familiarity might be comforting and less confusing.
3. When in a strange hotel room be sure to lock the door at night. Leave the bathroom light on and put up a sign, blocking the exit door and pointing to the bathroom. That way your patient is less likely to wander out of the room in the middle of the night searching for a place to relieve themselves.
4. Keep your days simple. Don't try to cram too much in. Allow plenty of time for relaxing and simply being in the moment.
5. If air travel makes your patient anxious ask your family doctor for a mild sedative for the ride. Be sure to test the medication once before the trip to make sure there are no adverse effects. Or try a safe natural remedy with no side effects. One of my clients recommends a homeopathic remedy called Calms Forte. I have tried Rescue Remedy, one of the Bach Flower Essences, and have seen that it can calm some people down in seconds! (Be sure to consult your doctor before using any herbal product and never use either of these products on a daily basis — Rescue Remedy, in particular, is meant for short term use only.)
6. If you are worried your patient might get lost or wander in strange circumstances, be sure to call the Alzheimer's Association well in advance of your trip and sign up for the Safe Return program. You can have a bracelet made with the patient's name, address, a contact phone number and medical condition as well. Both of these tactics can help the police track down and identify your loved one in an emergency. Be sure to bring emergency phone numbers with you and let friends and family know where to find you if the need arises.
7. There's no need to sleep in a strange bed. Plan day trips. On the Central Coast we do, after all, live in one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Pretend you are a tourist. If you live in Monterey or San Benito County, visit Santa Cruz. If you live in Santa Cruz go to Monterey or Big Sur. Go to the beach! Take the train to the Redwoods. Do something you haven't done in years.
8. Okay, none of this is clicking for you...the only vacation you could imagine is AWAY from your dementia patient! Alright then. It's time to arrange it. Ask family and friends for a week off. Even the people who say they are "too busy" when you ask them for undefined ongoing respite can often find the time for a specific period arranged well enough in advance. Is a week too long? Ask for a weekend.
Caregiving Articles
A new version of this article can be found in Sheryl’s latest book The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving.
Caregiving Articles
© Copyright 2007 Sheryl Karas & Paul Hood