TRIB TOTAL MEDIA SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 · 13
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Often, choosing to stay at a hotel instead of at a family member’s or friend’s home is a
good choice, as a hotel can give you a calm place to go if things get hectic.
One thing, if traveling through the airport,
is making sure, whenever possible, to limit
connections and layovers. We’d all love to do
that ourselves in general, but try as best as
possible to take direct flights.
Think about the stress we have with that,
so avoiding tight connections will lessen that.
A lot of airlines, too, offer pre-boarding for
people who need more time to adjust to new
surroundings.
Something caregivers can do in advance
if air travel is involved is, 72 hours ahead,
check with the airline or airport about what
to expect with the screening process. Also,
don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from flight
personnel and crew.
Q:What are some of the things you
should take with you?
A:You should bring important documents
when you’re traveling, like your
loved one’s doctor’s name, contact information,
a list of current medications, phone
numbers of the local police and hospital,
lists of food and drug allergies, copies of
legal papers and any names and important
contact information for friends and family in
case of emergency.
Another tip we have is we actually sell on
our website cards that say, “The person I am
with has Alzheimer’s, please be patient.”
You don’t have to make a big deal out of
it, but you can show someone at the hotel
or TSA who’s asking questions so that they
understand the person may need more time
to process information.
Q:What should caregivers do to help
with comfort and safety in unfamiliar
accommodations?
A:A lot of times we say — and caregivers
have validated this — that sometimes
it’s cheaper to stay with family but in reality
it’s sometimes better to stay in a hotel because
typically a hotel can give you more of a
calm place to go if things get hectic.
It’s great to be around relatives, but if everyone’s
going back to the same house, it might
help the dementia or Alzheimer’s patient
to stick to their routine better if you’re in a
hotel. And you can make sure the hotel staff
is aware of your special needs in advance.
Even though the surroundings are different,
it’s more one-on-one and more accommodating,
but, again, that goes back to the
family. It’s OK to tell the family you’re not
being rude, and thank you, but you just feel
that considering the circumstances it might
be less chaotic.
Q:Any other safety tips to help make a
trip safe and successful?
A:You always should take into account
sundowning. When looking at the
itinerary, you need to consider the time of
day when you’ll be doing activities being
mindful about the sundowning part of the
day, because that will probably be escalated
because of the change when traveling.
We have some great resources on our
website (alz.org) on traveling, and if you are
traveling, it could be a great time to look into
our MedicAlert and Safe Return bracelet.
To sum it up, just try to stick to as normal
a routine as possible. If possible, keep meal
and bedtimes the same, and avoid busy restaurants
as much as you can. But again, you
really do have to plan out and think about
every day you’re on vacation and adapt it as
best you can.
Caregivers can only do what they can do
and control as much as they can control. You
can only do your best, but it helps to plan
ahead.
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