How to Manage Traveling with an Elderly Parent?

Is it safe to travel long distance with the elderly? What happens if there’s a medical emergency on board? Such questions always give you a second thought regarding traveling with your parents. While there are a few apprehensions of planning a trip with the elderly, there’s nothing which can’t be handled with proper planning.

Making some everlasting memories with aging parents is more fulfilling than you can imagine. The idea might have always seemed overwhelming but, it can be easily pulled through. Let us help you with a proper guide to taking your parents out on a fun trip:

Choose the Right Place

This thing is beyond your control if the trip is happening out of circumstances and the destination is not your choice. However, if you are planning the vacation, make sure to choose such a place which would be suitable for everyone.

Your adult parents’ health and activity level play a pivotal role in deciding where you can go with them. If your parent faces mobility issues, it would be unwise to choose a place with steep terrains. Also, it is extremely important to accommodate the privacy for everyone so always book private rooms wherever you can.

Get All the Medical and Safety Considerations

Before they can travel, your parents will need clearance from their doctor. You should ask him to fill out the information form for their travel insurance. Let him perform a complete check up on them so that you know if they are healthy enough to travel or not.

This is a good time to have a detailed conversation with the doctor regarding the health condition of your parents. He will keep you aware of any critical issues which can cause unexpected delays or problems at airports or travel checkpoints.

Keep Your Travel Insurance in-check

When traveling with the elderly, getting travel insurance should not be an option but a necessity. A medical emergency can occur at any moment so one should be well-prepared for it. This insurance is especially important if you are traveling out of the country.

Travel insurance will cover the cancelation costs if something happens prior to the trip. Even if you need to return home early, they will take care of the expense of the remaining portion of the trip.

Properly Plan Out Everything

First of all, you need a positive yet practical mindset on this trip. While you plan out various activities, you must get information about nearby hospitals and pharmacies. This will keep you prepared in medical emergencies.

Identify the activities which you and your parents can easily do together. This is the time to have some fun and spend quality time together, so make sure you are prepared with a list of all the possible chances to bond well.

Be Flexible on Schedule

First of all, you must be very careful while devising a schedule. You should not over pack it and have enough room for some rest. Remember that you are not traveling with completely healthy people and your parents would require to reenergize themselves before carrying out another activity.

Once you’ve decided what to do, make arrangements to accommodate unexpected bathroom breaks and sleep timings because your parents might need them. Despite the occasional breaks, try to stick to a fixed schedule, especially if your parent has dementia.

Don’t Forget the Medicines

All the important medicines should be kept in the carry-on luggage. The typical liquid restrictions in air travel do not apply to the medications. You can get the container of the medicines screened separately.

To be on the safe side, keep all these medicines in the checked luggage as well. In case if any of the bags get lost, you will not be out of the most important thing for your parents. Along with the medicines, carry the prescription too as you might need to show it at the checkpoints.

Be Careful with Your Meals

The elderly people have sensitive tummies and follow a restricted diet plan. While it may be tempting to forget all those healthy food items on the trip, it will come with a lot of side-effects. Try to keep the heavy and spicy items out of the list.

It would be a nice idea to keep the doctor in the loop and get his approval before eating anything unusual.

Conclusion

Just like you would put enough effort into the chamber of commerce travel, this trip also requires your diligence and dedication. The above-mentioned points might seem to be a daunting task but in the end, it will all be worth it.

Traveling with parents is always about creating fantastic memories. Irrespective of their illness, make sure that you enjoy the time spent with them and cherish it when they are no longer around.