How to Plan a Trip With Aging Parents
Make arrangements for medication.Bring adequate supplies of any medications your aging parents might need., Pack travel essentials.It’s a good idea to bring along certain things that could make the trip smoother., Get travel insurance.Older people...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make arrangements for medication.Bring adequate supplies of any medications your aging parents might need.
Keep medications in their original bottles whenever possible.
Place each bottle or container in a clear plastic bag labeled with its name, dosage size and frequency, and administration instructions.
Medications without this information might not be allowed through airport security checkpoints.
Your parents should have prescriptions and medication descriptions translated into an appropriate language if traveling abroad.
For instance, if traveling to Brazil, the prescription info should be in Portuguese.
In the event of a medical emergency, this information could save their life.
Take your parents’ doctors’ numbers, too, just in case you need to get hold of them.
If traveling by plane make sure that you carry on your prescriptions and do not pack them in baggage that you are checking in.
This way, if your luggage is lost you will still have your medication. -
Step 2: Pack travel essentials.It’s a good idea to bring along certain things that could make the trip smoother.
Painkillers like aspirin are a good idea to have on hand, as are small snack bars for occasions when you’re off on a tour without something to eat.
Ensure aspirin and other over-the-counter medicine will not interfere with your parents’ prescriptions.
If your parents have specific foods that they can’t live without, or need to be on a soft-food diet for medical reasons, be sure to pack them.Bring anti-diarrhea medicine if you think it might be necessary, especially if you're traveling to a foreign country where you are not used to the water. , Therefore, it’s always a good idea to plan against something bad happening by getting travel insurance.
Encourage your parents to contact their regular health or life insurance companies about taking out a policy that covers them while traveling.
Some travel insurance companies don’t offer policies on individuals beyond a certain age.
Be sure to check a particular policy for restrictions according to age Other companies don’t offer policies to people with certain pre-existing conditions.
Again, check the fine print on any policy and have your parents ask specific questions relating to their health to ensure they get the most comprehensive travel insurance coverage. , If your aging parents use wheelchairs, you have several options.
You could contact the airline about carrying a wheelchair onto the flight with you.This might be your best option if you want to bring an electric wheelchair or a wheelchair that has functions that others might not.
Alternatively, you can often rent a travel power wheelchair, which makes traveling easy.
These wheelchairs can be disassembled in one place and reassembled in another.
Finally, you could arrange a wheelchair rental at your destination with the help of a travel agent.
Hotels often loan wheelchairs to guests.
Be sure to factor the added time wheelchairs may add to your itinerary when deciding how long you’ll need to connect to flights, catch trains or buses, and make other travel arrangements.
Traveling in a wheelchair will probably, for instance, extend the time it takes to clear security checkpoints in airports.
Plan on pre-boarding.
Carrying your own wheelchair onto an airplane is often free.
Airports also have agents whose job is to aid people with disabilities and help them get around the airport.
They can also help you get through the TSA checkpoint, perhaps faster.
Check with your airline to see if you can have a wheelchair or golf cart ready for your parent when you get off the airplane.
This can make it easier to get your baggage or to get to a connecting flight. , Avoid long direct flights so that your parents can decompress and avoid achy, cramped joints and muscles.
If you do get stuck on a long flight, encourage your aging parents to get up and walk around frequently.
Moving once every 30 minutes or so keeps the blood circulating and prevents stiffness and pain later.
Be careful doing this with people that have Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
It may be better to have a direct flight.
People with these conditions get confused easily and there are potential dangers if they do not fly directly. , Try to be specific when booking aisle seats.
If your parent suffers from cramping in his or her right leg and needs to stretch it often, choose a seat with an aisle on the right so they can stretch it comfortably without getting up.
If no aisle seats are available, try to book another flight where they are available, or talk to a customer service rep with the airline of your choice and explain your situation to see if there are alternatives that you hadn’t considered. -
Step 3: Get travel insurance.Older people are at greater risk of sickness and injury.
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Step 4: Make accommodations for wheelchair-bound parents.
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Step 5: Break up your flight.Sleeping and being comfortable on airplanes can be hard
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Step 6: especially for aging parents.
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Step 7: Book aisle seats.Since aging parents
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Step 8: especially
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Step 9: should try to move around often
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Step 10: try to book aisle seats so they can get up and down more easily.
Detailed Guide
Keep medications in their original bottles whenever possible.
Place each bottle or container in a clear plastic bag labeled with its name, dosage size and frequency, and administration instructions.
Medications without this information might not be allowed through airport security checkpoints.
Your parents should have prescriptions and medication descriptions translated into an appropriate language if traveling abroad.
For instance, if traveling to Brazil, the prescription info should be in Portuguese.
In the event of a medical emergency, this information could save their life.
Take your parents’ doctors’ numbers, too, just in case you need to get hold of them.
If traveling by plane make sure that you carry on your prescriptions and do not pack them in baggage that you are checking in.
This way, if your luggage is lost you will still have your medication.
Painkillers like aspirin are a good idea to have on hand, as are small snack bars for occasions when you’re off on a tour without something to eat.
Ensure aspirin and other over-the-counter medicine will not interfere with your parents’ prescriptions.
If your parents have specific foods that they can’t live without, or need to be on a soft-food diet for medical reasons, be sure to pack them.Bring anti-diarrhea medicine if you think it might be necessary, especially if you're traveling to a foreign country where you are not used to the water. , Therefore, it’s always a good idea to plan against something bad happening by getting travel insurance.
Encourage your parents to contact their regular health or life insurance companies about taking out a policy that covers them while traveling.
Some travel insurance companies don’t offer policies on individuals beyond a certain age.
Be sure to check a particular policy for restrictions according to age Other companies don’t offer policies to people with certain pre-existing conditions.
Again, check the fine print on any policy and have your parents ask specific questions relating to their health to ensure they get the most comprehensive travel insurance coverage. , If your aging parents use wheelchairs, you have several options.
You could contact the airline about carrying a wheelchair onto the flight with you.This might be your best option if you want to bring an electric wheelchair or a wheelchair that has functions that others might not.
Alternatively, you can often rent a travel power wheelchair, which makes traveling easy.
These wheelchairs can be disassembled in one place and reassembled in another.
Finally, you could arrange a wheelchair rental at your destination with the help of a travel agent.
Hotels often loan wheelchairs to guests.
Be sure to factor the added time wheelchairs may add to your itinerary when deciding how long you’ll need to connect to flights, catch trains or buses, and make other travel arrangements.
Traveling in a wheelchair will probably, for instance, extend the time it takes to clear security checkpoints in airports.
Plan on pre-boarding.
Carrying your own wheelchair onto an airplane is often free.
Airports also have agents whose job is to aid people with disabilities and help them get around the airport.
They can also help you get through the TSA checkpoint, perhaps faster.
Check with your airline to see if you can have a wheelchair or golf cart ready for your parent when you get off the airplane.
This can make it easier to get your baggage or to get to a connecting flight. , Avoid long direct flights so that your parents can decompress and avoid achy, cramped joints and muscles.
If you do get stuck on a long flight, encourage your aging parents to get up and walk around frequently.
Moving once every 30 minutes or so keeps the blood circulating and prevents stiffness and pain later.
Be careful doing this with people that have Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
It may be better to have a direct flight.
People with these conditions get confused easily and there are potential dangers if they do not fly directly. , Try to be specific when booking aisle seats.
If your parent suffers from cramping in his or her right leg and needs to stretch it often, choose a seat with an aisle on the right so they can stretch it comfortably without getting up.
If no aisle seats are available, try to book another flight where they are available, or talk to a customer service rep with the airline of your choice and explain your situation to see if there are alternatives that you hadn’t considered.
About the Author
Mark Hughes
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
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