Whether it’s your first time or your 90th time to travel with the elderly, you just need to know that they are fragile and will not attend to various tasks as they did in their glory days. But then again, it doesn’t mean that the journey has to be all boring and filled with pitiful expressions and empathies. Ensure that you make your trip as fun and as joyful as it can get. This is what memories are made of.
Now, depending on your destination, you’ll need to ensure that your elderly companion is comfortable. Whether traveling by air, train, public transportation, or by private means ensure that they have all their immediate necessities close by. And this is why this article will come in handy. That said, here’s what to prepare when traveling with your elders.
1. Pack All the Medications Needed For the Trip
If your loved one has a pre-existing medical condition, then it will be of paramount importance to ensure that you’ve included their medication in the travel items checklist. If they don’t have enough to last them through the trip, you can schedule a doctor’s visit before the trip. In addition to this, if you have the prescription, you can always add more from the nearby chemist. One other thing, you’ll need to know how the medications are taken, whether after or before meals. This will ensure a successful trip free of any medical emergency.
2. Anticipate Changes in Travel Rules and Regulations
If your elderly loved one hasn’t traveled in a while, you must prepare them for changes in travel rules and regulations. It might get a bit tricky when going through screening procedures, most especially in airports and other highly sensitive travel locations. As such, those with medical devices and wheelchairs may feel a bit overwhelmed by the thoroughness in screening procedures. Paola, a residence manager at https://arcare.com.au/ suggests that if you come up to unexpected difficulties with various travel rules and regulations, to reassure your loved one that things will be okay and to also help the screening officials understand your situation. This will help to streamline any hiccups in your trip. Most importantly, be the help your loved one needs in comfort and reassuring them.
3. Plan Early For Accommodation
If you are planning a trip with your elderly, it’s important to plan for their accommodation needs. You don’t want to leave your loved one unattended. When choosing an accommodation facility, you’ll need to factor in your loved one’s special needs. For those with walking aids and in wheelchairs, ensure to get them into accommodation facilities with accessible rooms. Before traveling, share such information with your loved one to know what they think of the accommodation spots you’re considering. Ideally, include them in the decision making process. This will provide them with enough time to process and prepare.
4. Have You Thought About Travel Insurance Yet?
Travel insurance is not only important when traveling with the elderly, but is vitally important to people of all ages. When traveling with seniors, they’ll be susceptible to ailments, falls, or need additional medical support while traveling. Now, applying a travel insurance policy when traveling with an elderly will help to assure you that regardless of what happens during the trip, both of you will be covered for any medical costs that can arise. This is a pragmatic strategy to ensure that your loved one enjoys seeing the great outdoors without having to constantly worry about any medical emergencies. Below are the benefits of senior citizen travel insurance packages. They include:
- You get cashless hospitalization in whatever parts of the world
- It covers any pre-existing ailments
- You don’t need to get tested for any ailments when applying
- Covers loss of luggage, theft, and loss of your travel documents
- Travel insurance plans do cover emergency evacuations
5. Pack All Necessities That Add Comfort to Your Trip
Whether you’re taking a road trip to the beach, animal orphanage, national park, or to see relatives to distant destinations, it’s very important to prepare and pack the essentials that will help to add a bit of comfort to your trip. These are the basic things everyone needs when on a road trip. But when it comes to traveling with senior citizens, you’ll need to be mindful of the things you include in your travel checklist. To help you out, here’s what to include:
- Sunglasses
- Umbrellas and raincoats
- Extra pairs of sunglasses
- Comfort shoes
- Compression socks
- Hats
- Sunscreen
- Entertainment tools such as mp3 players, books, games, etc.
- Hearing aid batteries if need be
- Rechargeable phone batteries
- First aid kits
- Extra layers of clothes
Now, as earlier mentioned, you need to ensure that your trip with your elderly loved one is fun-filled and exciting. This, while being mindful of their health and feelings. Most importantly, if you’re traveling abroad, you need to first check if there are travel restrictions such as may be due to a disease outbreak. You just don’t want to put your loved one’s health at risk. Happy travels people!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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