By Samantha Morelock, MA, Care Manager
Summer has arrived, and this new season brings warmer weather, kids’ summer break from school, and exciting plans for trips and travel.
Traveling offers excellent opportunities to see new sights, visit family members who live far away, or explore the world beyond your everyday environment. However, traveling can be stressful and challenging, especially when traveling with loved ones with dementia.
Traveling with loved ones who have dementia will not just be difficult for you but also the person affected by dementia. Here are some practical tips to make traveling much smoother and easier for you, your loved ones, and your family.
Clear, Consistent, and Concise Communication Before and During Travel
It is essential, before your travels, to prepare your loved one for the upcoming trip. It is better to try to prepare them ahead of time instead of springing a surprise trip on them, which will likely lead to increased confusion, agitation, and overwhelm.
Have short conversations with your loved one about the upcoming trip. Please keep it simple: where are you going, how are you getting there, and who or what you plan to visit? Provide plenty of reassurance that you will be with them throughout the trip. Remind your loved one about the travel plan several times before your trip. During your travels, keep conversations short and simple, slow down your communication, and provide one-step instructions or details at a time about what is planned next.
Create Calm and Familiarity
Going on a trip is a significant change for your loved one with dementia. It can involve new places, new faces, and an increased level of activity that is drastically different from their everyday routine. These changes can cause confusion, agitation, and upset for your loved one.
You need to remain calm and create a calm environment for them. Your loved one will feed off of your energy, so if you can stay calm and positive, it will help them do the same. During your trip, try to create a relaxed and familiar environment for them. This could include calm music, noise-reducing headphones, a favorite stuffed animal, doll, blanket, or other comfort items, and a preferred snack and beverage. Have activities and photos prepared to keep your loved one busy during the travel time.
Anything that will bring them comfort and help them self-soothe during travel will be helpful. It is also helpful to remember not to argue or question their reality, as this can lead to agitation. Instead, you can redirect them by reminiscing about past events, as these fond memories can help soothe and restore calm.
Manage Expectations and Anticipate Adjustments to the Travel Plan
When traveling with a loved one with dementia, it is important to manage your expectations of how the trip should go. Often, we will organize our travel plans and trip schedules down to the very last detail. But when traveling with someone with dementia, even the most well-organized plans are bound to get changed somehow. Instead of facing disappointment due to changed plans, it is better to anticipate the need for adjustments to your travel plans.
It is important to adjust time expectations. Travel is going to take longer. You may need to slow down and allow more time for things like bathroom breaks and meals. It is very easy for overstimulation to occur during the busyness of traveling. This may require additional time to help your loved one calm down or to redirect some dementia-related behaviors.
You may also need extra time to re-communicate the travel plans or make changes to your traveling environment to create a calmer space for your loved one. Flexibility, patience, and the ability to anticipate schedule adjustments are key to managing your expectations and avoiding travel frustrations.
Traveling can be enriching and stir great memories. Clear and consistent communication, a calm presence, and self-soothing support, along with thoughtful and flexible planning, will help prepare everyone for your summer travels and ensure the best trip possible for all.
If you or someone you care about needs additional support to help cope, The Option Group is here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact our professional care management team for assistance.
About The Option Group: Founded in 2010, The Option Group’s compassionate team of experienced Certified Life Care Managers provides services for families, their loved ones, medical professionals, and professional family advisors in Maryland, DC, Southern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The firm understands the challenges of caring for individuals who need assistance throughout their lifespan due to aging, dementia, disability, or serious illness. Our skilled providers possess over 100 years of combined experience navigating the healthcare maze and accessing hundreds of resources. The Option Group helps families spend quality time with their loved ones, providing clear choices that lead to better care. For more information, visit www.theoptiongroup.net or call 410-667-0266 (MD), 717-287-9900, 610-885-8899, or 215-896-6756 (PA), or 302-858-6449 (DE).