1. < Caregivers: Dementia
Profile picture for medott

Traveling with memory issues

Posted by medott @medott, 3 days ago

I am thinking of taking my husband on a trip back to see my family out of state. Anyone with experience here? How difficult was it? I am concerned my husband will be more confused as a result. Any advice would be appreciated. He has short term memory loss due to a ruptured brain aneurism.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers: Dementia Support Group.

Profile picture for centre
centre | @centre | 2 days ago
In reply to @celia16 "I suppose it depends on the degree of progression. My dad liked to take short drives..." + (show)
Profile picture for celia16 @celia16

I suppose it depends on the degree of progression. My dad liked to take short drives to visit places where he had fond memories, but even an hour drive tired him out and when we got home he was disoriented and anxious. We learned short drives and then right back home worked best. I don’t think daddy would have rested in a strange place either.

My cousin, who had significant dementia didn’t do well leaving her Memory Care unit. It took her about a day to settle down. Once she returned, she seemed unfamiliar with the place. This was disconcerting.

I’m glad some people have had good outcomes.

Jump to this post

@celia16 My husband likes short drives too. We live in farm country, so once winter is over, we drive and follow what’s doing with the fields- lots of corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay fields here. He likes to talk about what’s happening- time for hay to be turned for drying, how many cows all that silage will feed, etc. He was never a farmer, but his “Pap”was. Doing these drives and talks has really slowed down my anxiety about our situation- people have been discussing these subjects for thousands of years, life and the cycle of planting and harvesting goes on.

REPLY
Profile picture for Cheryl D
Cheryl D | @nmrcdigman | 2 days ago

I have read about the air travel designation for travelers with dementia - as I remember it is a yellow flower label label. I don’t think every airport has the service - it was a quiet area where you could sit and wait without all the regular chaos of regular travel. Which is wonderful, but I don’t know if they are in every terminal/concourse at the designated airports, so that wouldn’t be very helpful if they were located on B and you were traveling out of C.
We took a 1500 mile road trip a year ago and it will be the last one. He would get sundowners and be so confused in the evenings. I would not put him thru that again. If he didn’t have microscopic colitis on top of the LBD, I would be willing to try a river cruise - we’ve done a lot of those and they have no children and you can participate as you wish at different stops. I would not leave him to go on my own, it would make him far too anxious.
And, I have to say, sometimes there is a little niggle in the back of my mind that he can do better, but he is pretty self centered (this did not happen overnight, he’s always been this way).
Good luck, I hate not traveling, we used to do a lot of international travel as well as had a very comfortable motorhome we traveled in all summer - but I am grateful we did have those opportunities.
Peace, Cheryl

REPLY
Profile picture for laura1970
laura1970 | @laura1970 | 1 day ago
In reply to @laura1970 "I also heard there is a special lanyard going into use that all airport personnel will..." + (show)
Profile picture for laura1970 @laura1970

I also heard there is a special lanyard going into use that all airport personnel will recognize as an “at risk “ individual

Jump to this post

@laura1970 here is the website
https://hdsunflower.com/

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.