Preparing to Take a Road Trip with a Senior Parent

By Andy Niska | July 20, 2017 |

Caregiver in Deer Park WA: Tips for Road Trips with a Senior Parent

Summer is a great time to take road trips and spend quality time with your family. They can also be a great way to bond with your senior parent and make valuable new memories. This might be especially true if you are a family caregiver for your parent and much of your time spent together revolves around tasks and needs. Getting out on the road with your parent can help you to shake off that old day-to-day caregiver routine and focus on new experiences and time well spent. Of course, that doesn’t mean you get to stop being a caregiver while you’re on vacation with your parent, but by being prepared for some of the challenges that may come up, both you and your parent can thoroughly enjoy a road trip. Here are some tips for road tripping with your parent.

Address Medical Concerns Ahead of Time.

Depending on your parent’s condition, you may want to talk with their doctor before taking them on a trip. Ask if there are any special concerns or if the doctor has tips for making travel easier. Also, be sure to bring along extras of your parent’s medications. It may even be a good idea to keep extra medicine in a bag separate from the rest of the medicine in case the bag gets lost or damaged. Make sure you pack your parent’s insurance card and their doctor’s contact information in case there is an emergency. It’s also a good idea to research the medical facilities available at your destination so you know where to go or call if necessary.

Book Accessible Hotel Rooms.

When making hotel reservations, don’t forget to ask for handicap accessible rooms if your parent is in a wheelchair or uses a walker.

Make the Road Trip Comfortably Familiar.

Professional travelers Heather Sinclair and Tim Hirtle recommend that you give your parent a sense of familiarity as you travel. This can be important to providing them with some stability if they are nervous about being away from home. For Sinclair and Hirtle, that meant stopping at a Tim Hortons coffee franchise often even though they preferred independent coffee houses.

Allow for Extra Time.

Remember that your parent doesn’t move as quickly as they once did. This means that a five-minute bathroom stop might take more like 15 minutes. You may also not be able to drive as far in one day as you would without your parent because they may not be able to sit comfortably in the car for that long.

Talk About Money Before You Go.

Depending on your family dynamic, your parent may be used to paying for everything or may expect you to pay for everything. Before you go, sit down with your parent and talk to them about what, if any, costs you expect them to cover during the vacation. If you want to treat your parent by paying for the entire vacation and your parent is reluctant, suggest they take the family out to dinner one night or pay for entrance to one attraction.

If you or an aging loved one are considering caregiver services in Deer Park, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

Sources

https://thetraveltype.com/road-trip-elderly-parents/

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.