A look at travelling with and for the elderly
A family trip is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to your ageing parents or any other elderly person in your family. Such trips are a great way for them to socialise and mingle with the younger generations. While you are travelling with the elderly, all you need is a few extra precautionary measures, especially if they have any specific health condition. So, before any vacation, keep their requirements in mind and plan ahead. If you have never travelled with seniors before, these tips might help you.
Consult the doctor
If the elderly person suffers from any specific health condition then that calls for extra attention. Consult the doctor or family physician before making any plans. Only the doctor can guide you about the medication and help you take care of the senior person while travelling.
Keep essentials within reach
Always make sure that you have the essentials close at hand. These may include items like their medicines, adult diapers, an extra pair of spectacles, tissues, water or anything else that the elderly might need to make themselves comfortable. When travelling, always keep the medical documents or prescriptions close.
Pre-arrange for services
If the elderly person suffers from any kind of disability, make prior arrangements. Request wheelchair services and other assistance at airport or railway stations. Request for special seating arrangements if required. If they have any dietary restrictions, make sure you keep those requirements in mind while choosing a destination and hotel.
With advanced planning, you can always make your trips with the seniors enjoyable and hassle free. Hope these tips help you understand the precautionary measures you need to take. Further, if you need assistance in taking care of the elders, you can always consult us. We give overall elder or senior care services in Kolkata and ensure their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Support Elders
A look at travelling with and for the elderly
Most of us have been initiated into the joys of travelling by our parents.Travelling with them usually becomes such a matter of habit that we often forget to notice the balance gradually get skewed…from us depending on our parents to them (tacitly) depending on us till it reaches a point wherein the necessity becomes obvious. The problem that usually crops up in such a scenario is that the thrill of travelling to new places and packing each day with umpteen activities often makes us forget the elderly’s needs. It is best to follow a set of dos and don’ts to make travelling enjoyable and relaxing for the elderly, while travelling with them.
For Caregivers
The most important items that you have to carry along while travelling with the elderly actually require very little space. Those are patience and sensitivity because one thing that is sure to raise its ambiguous and persistent head is generation gap. You can have their best interest in mind but still your points of view will rarely match. The elderly’s ideas about life, travel and of course money matters are bound to be very different from yours.
Instead of dumping your ideas on them, it is best you include them in the planning. The young often think that they know best thanks to technology but nothing can beat the lessons learnt from experience. As you research and plan, it works great if you fill them in on the destination/s and itinerary.
The elderly thrive on predictability so it is best not to spring a surprise on them. It could ruin the trip as they may feel unnerved regarding what lies ahead and you may be disappointed with their nervous or negative reaction. So, it is advisable to tell them the next day’s or the next few days’ itinerary.
For Elders
First and foremost, you need to have faith in younger family members. With technology providing valuable information about the destination, hotel, cuisine, sightseeing, food etc. travellers can now plan in great detail. So, do listen carefully when the travel plans are being discussed and clarify your queries.
Do not hesitate to give your suggestions as they may prove to be rather valuable during the course of the trip. I had once read about how a person (on his first trip across Europe) had been advised to carry a lot of change. Though he was rather dismissive at first, he soon realised the worth of this seemingly useless piece of advice every time he and his family members needed to use the washroom. Experience always helps!
At the end of the day, despite meticulous planning, issues and crises may crop up during the trip. Be prepared for it and have faith in each other!
Most of us have been initiated into the joys of travelling by our parents.Travelling with them usually becomes such a matter of habit that we often forget to notice the balance gradually get skewed…from us depending on our parents to them (tacitly) depending on us till it reaches a point wherein the necessity becomes obvious. The problem that usually crops up in such a scenario is that the thrill of travelling to new places and packing each day with umpteen activities often makes us forget the elderly’s needs. It is best to follow a set of dos and don’ts to make travelling enjoyable and relaxing for the elderly, while travelling with them.
For Caregivers
The most important items that you have to carry along while travelling with the elderly actually require very little space. Those are patience and sensitivity because one thing that is sure to raise its ambiguous and persistent head is generation gap. You can have their best interest in mind but still your points of view will rarely match. The elderly’s ideas about life, travel and of course money matters are bound to be very different from yours.
Instead of dumping your ideas on them, it is best you include them in the planning. The young often think that they know best thanks to technology but nothing can beat the lessons learnt from experience. As you research and plan, it works great if you fill them in on the destination/s and itinerary.
The elderly thrive on predictability so it is best not to spring a surprise on them. It could ruin the trip as they may feel unnerved regarding what lies ahead and you may be disappointed with their nervous or negative reaction. So, it is advisable to tell them the next day’s or the next few days’ itinerary.
For Elders
First and foremost, you need to have faith in younger family members. With technology providing valuable information about the destination, hotel, cuisine, sightseeing, food etc. travellers can now plan in great detail. So, do listen carefully when the travel plans are being discussed and clarify your queries.
Do not hesitate to give your suggestions as they may prove to be rather valuable during the course of the trip. I had once read about how a person (on his first trip across Europe) had been advised to carry a lot of change. Though he was rather dismissive at first, he soon realised the worth of this seemingly useless piece of advice every time he and his family members needed to use the washroom. Experience always helps!
At the end of the day, despite meticulous planning, issues and crises may crop up during the trip. Be prepared for it and have faith in each other!
