Your travel experience with a friend or loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease can be a pleasure when the appropriate managed and detailed plans are in place before the trip begins. Before departure, supply your family with your planned stops and expected time of arrival at each destination.
Safety is paramount in any excursion. Get to know the abilities and preferences of your passenger. Excursions in the early stages of dementia can be exhilarating, but the later stages of this malady can make it overwhelming. Being introduced to unfamiliar places can cause anxiety for the friend with Alzheimer’s; ultimately, it may encourage disorientation and confusion. Stick to familiar routes.
Know What To Expect with Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. It causes concerns in memory loss, thinking and behavior. Science is already studying the healing effects that a nutrient-rich diet of whole raw foods, daily exercise, and meditation plays in any disease.
Supply Detailed Tracking Information With Friends At Home
You’ve heard of the hiker who took an afternoon trek into a wilderness area, without notifying anyone, because he expected to be back home before dark. Don’t be that traveler. Provide back-up information as a safety precaution. Then relax and let the fun begin.
Organize a Travel Bag
Take the time to make a checklist, and include mandatory items in a luggage case. Each prescribed medication should be in the bag. Make two schedules, so your travel companion has easy access to all of the pertinent information.
Pack extra clothes that are comfortable and a supply of bottled water. Even minor dehydration can easily be prevented. Take time to grocery shop for nutrient-dense, whole-food snacks.
Natural vitamin C is not stored by the body, so it needs to be replenished every few hours. You’ll be glad you have fresh berries and raw vegetable strips for energy. A battery-operated juicer can be the answer to quick power drinks, and it only requires a few minutes of your time.
Create a Detailed Destination Plan
Be sure to leave copies with your friends that may agree to monitor your progress. Discuss any special needs ahead of time with motel staff to prepare them if you should need assistance.
Each added precaution makes the journey more enjoyable. If your companion is naturally a night owl, you may want to schedule your major travel time in the nocturnal hours. Each small personality trait that is recognized has the potential to make the trip a pleasurable vacation.
Take Time To Copy Important Documents
Make copies of important legal documents that you may need. They are easily tucked away in a binder; although you may never need them, these items offer an added sense of security:
- physician’s name and emergency contact number
- food or drug allergies
- insurance info and policy numbers
- on-call family member
- living will
Of course, you may never need to even open this file, however, these are all papers that could save stress if they are necessary.
Now that you are organized and have reduced the needless mental and emotional clutter and anxiety down to the bare minimum, you can have a wonderful experience on your expedition. Planning for unexpected surprises along the way helps to ensure that a few interruptions can be managed with very little stress. Enjoy your journey, you deserve it.