July 2012
The Comfort of Home
NODA Area Agency on Aging
2901 North Van Buren, Enid, OK 73703
580-237-2236 or 800-211-2116
Caregiver Assistance News
CARING for you
CARING for others
Traveling with Aliheimer's Disease
Special Occasions and Special Challenges
Caregivers often have trouble
deciding whether it is possible or
worthwhile to travel with the person
who has Alzheimer's Disease (AD). It
will require a lot of advance planning
and knowledge of local resources. The
person may function at a much lower
level in unfamiliar surroundings than
at home. Time changes, language, and
strange people may cause distress.
You will be required to provide
a great deal more support while
traveling than you do at home.
However, some trips are essential,
while others may be for pleasure. You
may choose to spend the extra energy
to include the person in your care on
the trip, and it is possible that both
of you may enjoy many aspects of the
experience.
People with dementia are very
sensitive to the environment they
live in. They are less able to handle
changes. Being in a strange place
may cause agitation. Even a positive
event, such as a wedding, can feel
overwhelming to a person with
Alzheimer's disease and can lead to
agitation. It is important to evaluate
the person's environment to see if it is
causing problems that may be adding
to the agitation. Don't forget that
what used to bother the person before
he had AD, probably still will.
Can You Be Flexible?
Can you be flexible and change
the arrangements at the last minute?
Even the best of plans may need to
be changed, or canceled entirely, if
symptoms of the illness interfere. The
person with dementia may become
too agitated, behave inappropriately,
or be unable to get ready in time to
go, perhaps making
you miss the event
as well. If it turns
out that it is not
possible to include
the person with
dementia, can you
accept this as
a result of the
symptoms of
the illness and
not be angry?
NOTE
People with dementia can be
unpredictable. They do not
do this on purpose. A plan
that seems to make perfect
sense may turn out poorly.
And that doesn't mean that
you made a mistake.
Article continues
on page 2
Deposited by the agency in print; digitized by Oklahoma Department of Libraries
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This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders.
Full text
July 2012
The Comfort of Home
NODA Area Agency on Aging
2901 North Van Buren, Enid, OK 73703
580-237-2236 or 800-211-2116
Caregiver Assistance News
CARING for you
CARING for others
Traveling with Aliheimer's Disease
Special Occasions and Special Challenges
Caregivers often have trouble
deciding whether it is possible or
worthwhile to travel with the person
who has Alzheimer's Disease (AD). It
will require a lot of advance planning
and knowledge of local resources. The
person may function at a much lower
level in unfamiliar surroundings than
at home. Time changes, language, and
strange people may cause distress.
You will be required to provide
a great deal more support while
traveling than you do at home.
However, some trips are essential,
while others may be for pleasure. You
may choose to spend the extra energy
to include the person in your care on
the trip, and it is possible that both
of you may enjoy many aspects of the
experience.
People with dementia are very
sensitive to the environment they
live in. They are less able to handle
changes. Being in a strange place
may cause agitation. Even a positive
event, such as a wedding, can feel
overwhelming to a person with
Alzheimer's disease and can lead to
agitation. It is important to evaluate
the person's environment to see if it is
causing problems that may be adding
to the agitation. Don't forget that
what used to bother the person before
he had AD, probably still will.
Can You Be Flexible?
Can you be flexible and change
the arrangements at the last minute?
Even the best of plans may need to
be changed, or canceled entirely, if
symptoms of the illness interfere. The
person with dementia may become
too agitated, behave inappropriately,
or be unable to get ready in time to
go, perhaps making
you miss the event
as well. If it turns
out that it is not
possible to include
the person with
dementia, can you
accept this as
a result of the
symptoms of
the illness and
not be angry?
NOTE
People with dementia can be
unpredictable. They do not
do this on purpose. A plan
that seems to make perfect
sense may turn out poorly.
And that doesn't mean that
you made a mistake.
Article continues
on page 2
