Summer Travel Safety Tips: A Guide for Caregivers Traveling with Family Members Living With Alzheimer’s
By Jaime Anderson, RN, Healthcare at Autumn Leaves, Collin LIVING WELL Magazine
Vacation is a wonderful way to share quality time with your family member living with Alzheimer’s and with a little planning and preparation you can ensure that your vacation is full of rest, relaxation and fun.
Before leaving, visit your primary care physician to get necessary prescription refills your loved one may need. Research each location to map out nearby hospitals, police stations and local physicians’ offices. Compile a medical information kit for your loved one that includes:
- current insurance and prescription cards
- medical history
- all current medications
- complete list of medicines and foods to which they are allergic.
When reviewing destinations, make sure there are interesting activities both you and your loved one will enjoy. Take into
consideration your loved one’s daily behavior patterns and energy levels when scheduling activities. If the afternoon
is a time when a calm environment or low-key activity works best, don’t plan a late event that involves a busy location or a lot of interaction. Remember to take appropriate wardrobe selections your loved one can wear in layers.
Wandering is a constant risk for individuals living with Alzheimer’s and traveling can increase this hazard for your loved one, but there a number of things you can do to keep them safe and secure.
- Have them wear a bracelet or pendant with their name and the words “memory impaired”
- Have them carry a wallet-sized laminated card with their name and your contact
information. - If you are staying in a hotel, reserve adjoining rooms on the ground floor.
- Let staff know your loved one is memory impaired and provide them your contact information so they can reach you at any time in case a wandering or other incident occurs.
Following these guidelines, you and your loved one can share a road to adventure, creating new memories along the way that will last a lifetime.
Author Jaime Anderson, RN is VP of Healthcare at Autumn Leaves. You can learn more about Autumn Leaves Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Assisted Living communities by visiting their website at www.AutumnLeavesLiving.com.
