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The Alzheimer's Association urges families to always have a caregiver accompany someone with Alzheimer's while traveling. It also offers helpful travel tips for the care-giver. Read on:
(1) Get plenty of rest before the trip.
(2) Dress the patient in clothes that are easy to put on and remove (skirts with elastic bands for women; sweatpants for men).
(3) Have the patient wear an ID bracelet at all times. Information on it should include: name, address and phone number. In addition, inside the patient's purse or pocket, place a card with the name of the hotel or person you'll be visiting.
(4) Be sure to carry pertinent medications, medical records and insurance cards with you. (Also the tickets and money.)
(5) Check all luggage at the curb through to the final destination.
(6) Realize that change may create confusion and disorientation. Be realistic. Know going in that strange people, accommodations, time changes and busy terminals are all known to precipitate panic in AD patients.
(7) Keep the patient's diet and dining times simple and consistent.
(8) Do not travel at peak hours and seasons if at all possible.
(9) Carry a small sign that reads, "Please be patient. My ( ) has memory loss/Alzheimer's disease" to alert others of your special situation.
(10) If the AD patient is of the opposite sex and in a public restroom, ask someone to look in on him or her if it seems like it's taking a long time. Or place an "Occupied" sign on the door.
(11) Be patient. Reassuring the traveler with memory loss may mean reminding him or her repeatedly of where he or she is going.
Readers, for more valuable tips and suggestions, call the Alzheimer's Association toll-free at (800) 272-3900. Someone will be there to help you 24/7.
National Family Caregivers Association provides information, call toll-free, (800) 896-3650, or visiting the Web site at http://www.nfcacares.org
There is also an organization called Faith in Action that offers respite care to caregivers like yourself. The toll-free number is (877) 324-8411.
You should also become fully informed about STDs. Call the Centers for Disease Control's National STD toll-free hotline, (800) 227-8922, or visit the American Social Health Association's special Web site for teens at http://www.iwannaknow.org
Planned Parenthood can provide you and your boyfriend with affordable birth control. To locate your nearest Planned Parenthood office, call toll-free (800) 230-7526, or log
on to http://www.plannedparenthood.org
