LesTout: Traveling with a Senior Citizen

When traveling with a senior you are often put in the position of caregiver. Taking care of someone else while you are traveling can be challenging and yet rewarding. The key to a successful trip it to plan ahead and be flexible and adaptable as the situation requires.

The first challenge you will face will be flying. Most seniors don’t want to admit that they are not as spry as they were in their younger days but by pre-boarding your flight both you and the person you are traveling with will find it much easier to get seated when there are not so many people around. Make use of the transportation service offered in airports so you didn’t have to walk from one terminal to the other.

Try and get an aisle seat for the senior, this will make access to the washroom much more convenient. Ask for special meals if required. This will ensure that you are served first and health problems, such as diabetes, or dietary requirements can be addressed.
Air travel tips: http://seniors-site.com/travel/airtrvl.HTML

When you are traveling, eating properly is one of the greatest challenges you can face. Finding the right types of food at the appropriate time of day can pose a problem, especially if you are on a packaged tour. Most tours are fairly hectic even though the brochures say they are “easy-paced”. Everything starts early in the morning and lasts until late afternoon or early evening. This is where proper planning and preparing becomes very important. Find a supermarket and purchase snacks to carry with you.

Rich foods, irregular meal times and a change of diet can cause problems with digestive systems and you may find yourself desperately looking for washrooms. The caregiver will need to be aware of where to find washrooms on short notice and keep change handy in case you are required to pay for use of the facilities.

Included dinners are usually three course meals. Most seniors are not used to eating so much at mealtime but don’t didn’t want to waste food either. The senior needs to accept that they do not have to finish the meal just because it is there or they have paid for it.

You need to develop a routine that works for both of you. The senior needs to realize that it is alright to ask for help and that the caregiver isn’t nagging when they ask questions or remind the senior of something. They also need to admit when they are tired. The caregiver needs to recognize the signs that the senior is overtaxed.

By recognizing both your and the seniors strengths and weaknesses you will be able to overcome most of your difficulties. Packaged tours, even the ones that are supposed to be leisurely, can be very tiring and traveling with a senior requires a lot of patience. Most seniors don’t want to admit when they are over tired or if something is too much for them. Nor do they want to ask for special treatment. By letting him or her know that it is alright to be tired or to accept assistance you can make your trip a more enjoyable experience.

Traveling in the role of caregiver requires you to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the person you are assisting. Thinking outside of the box and being innovative helps tremendously. Often it is necessary to take charge but this must be done in a way that doesn’t make the senior feel that they have lost any of their independence. Instead of worrying about the challenges you are faced with, focus on finding acceptable solutions that will work for both of you.

The senior needs to be able to improvise when necessary and not to fret about things that didn’t go the way they had hoped. By letting go and rearranging your routines to meet the situation you will be able to have a good trip with very few real problems.

Tips to make traveling easier:

When flying ask for boarding assistance or pre-board and if you are required to change planes, don’t walk across the airport, save your energy and request transportation in the terminal. Ask for an aisle seat and a special meal. That way you will be served first.
Plan for the unexpected. Always carry a snack and a bottle of water, as it is not always possible, especially on a guided tour, to eat properly and regularly.
Don’t try to do it all. Take in as much as you can but know your limitations. Sometimes you might just have to miss something so you can rest up for something more important.
Let the person know that is alright to ask for assistance or admit that something is too much for them. Make sure they know that they can tell you if there is a problem, that way you can address the issue before it becomes serious.
Take control of the travel arrangements but provide necessary information to the person so they feel like they are active participants’ not just bystanders.
Keep an open mind and look for alternative solutions to most problem situations. What works in one situation may not work in another.
Relax and enjoy yourself. If you are less tense and worried then the person you are with will stop fretting as well. Good feelings are contagious.

Senior Travel Tips:
http://www.disabilityworld.org/05-06_01/access/airtravel.shtml