Traveling with memory issues

@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.

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

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

My wife is somewhere in stage 5 Alzheimer’s. We live in the Interior of Alaska where it can be cold and dark in the winter. We decided that this year we’d spend the winter in a warm place, so we bought a motorhome and headed south in September. We’ve been on the road since then and have settled in for the winter in the Southwest. I was worried about her confusion from the beginning of the trip, but have found that the positive outcomes of this trip outweigh the confusion during sundowners.

Yes, she still has questions such as our location, the month, and if her mother is still alive. However, she had these same questions when we were home so that’s why I decided to get her out of the house and on the road. In the past five months we’ve visited family and friends throughout the Midwest and Southwest and she has told me that she’s grateful for the time with friends and family. We’ve also spent lots of time stopping at museums, zoos and National Parks.

She has had a couple of “melt-downs” but those were when she was in a group of more than five or six people and couldn’t follow the conversations. I’ve learned to keep her out of those situations.

Update: 2-25-26
So we’ve been on the road for 5 months and it continues to go well. Last week we upgraded to a larger motorhome so there was some confusion for a couple of days. Some friends and family think that she should be in an assisted living home or that we should have a hired caregiver. I've found that life in the motorhome works for her and for me. (Sometimes, when frustrated, she'll say, "Put me in a nursing home so that you can travel and do what you want." I respond with, "We're in a rolling nursing home and I'm doing what I want.")

@bill9372 What a wonderful caregiver you are! At first, when you said that you live in interior Alaska, I was thinking that you were worried about your wife’s going out into the freezing, dark woods. But you said you’ve been traveling to the southwest! What a great trip! And your trip has been going well so far? You don’t need to listen to those who think that your wife should be in assisted living. You’ve been doing well and she is happy. That’s what counts! If she needs more or closer attention, I’m sure you will head home.

@bill9372 Bill, what a kind, loving reply to your wife. Only you and your wife know what's best for her and you at this time. Thanks for sharing!

@sueinmn and @moea Thank you both for the very helpful tips. My husband (who has Alzheimer's) and I are leaving this Sunday for a trip to Phoenix, where his older brother lives. I want them to have time together while my husband is still aware of who his loved ones are, even though he moves more slowly and needs to be accompanied and guided wherever we are. I especially appreciate the air travel suggestions, which I will get to work on right now!

We are staying in an AirBNB near his brother's place, since they don't have space for extra people. I chose one that seems very cozy and homelike, which I hope will make for a good experience. I'll share here anything I learn along the way.

My husband has vascular dementia and was declining over last three years. He had 40 hyperbaric treatments last August and it helped him tremendously. We took a bucket list trip to the Europeon Christmas markets in Hungary, Austria and Prague in December and after the long flight back, he was regressing again. The Hyperbaric Dr. gave him a week’s more treatments but this time with added oxygen mask. Difference is amazing! Dr. Attributes it to the high attitude lack of oxygen over a long flight and suggested we take oxygen to breathe on next flight. Have not done so yet but we will try as suggested.

@laura1970
Yes, it's the Hidden Disabilities sunflower lanyard.

@dlynng Have a safe and wonderful trip! Let us know how it goes. Traveling isn't easy but I have a feeling it will work out...