Although it may certainly be more difficult to travel with an elderly individual, this does not mean that vacations and trips need to be avoided with older relatives and friends. In order to travel with the elderly, however, more detailed planning needs to be exercised. The following are a series of tips that will help to make the trip more enjoyable for you and the elderly individual with whom you are traveling:
1. Before traveling, have the individual attend a physical examination and discuss the travel plans with the physician. Ensure that all shots and immunizations are up-to-date.
2. Carry a list of all of the medications that the individual requires so that it can be understood in any language or country to which you are traveling in case the prescription needs to be filled immediately.
3. Be wary of whether or not the individual has medical equipment such as hip implants or pacemakers which might set off airport alarms. Let security know of this fact.
4. If the individual has difficulties breathing and requires oxygen, communicate this with the officials at the airline before the flight. Personal oxygen equipment is prohibited but the airline can provide the required items if given advance notice, usually at least 48 hours.
5. If a flight is required, try to ensure that the elderly person has an aisle seat so that they will be able to easily arise and walk when needed. Being sedentary for increased periods of time would increase the risk of blood clots.
6. Make sure to allow extra time for snacks and bathroom breaks.
7. Ensure that the elderly individual drinks an adequate amount of water.
8. Keep the eating and sleeping schedule as routine as possible.
9. If the individual requires hearing aides, make sure that you have extra batteries on hand.
10. Bring any prescription medications and have them on-hand at all times. If you are flying, keep them in a carry-on instead of in the luggage.
Personal Response Corp. got its start as part of a home health service company, Prime Care Health Agency, Inc. which I founded in 1985. In 1990, we began offering Emergency Alert Response Systems (EARS™) to our home care customers after seeing firsthand the value of this life saving equipment. After working in the industry for five years, I decided that the only way to provide the best equipment, monitoring and customer service was to form a separate company dedicated solely to providing EARS™. Today, our mission at Personal Response is focused exclusively on delivering the most affordable and technologically advanced personal medical alarms available in the United States.