Include Aging Loved Ones In All Your Exciting Plans in the New Year!
At Elder Advisors Law, we talk a lot about planning and caring for our aging loved ones. It’s important to have a plan and keep up with their needs through the entire aging process. But, what about vacation planning? Sure, our team isn’t a vacation planning law firm and won’t be able to draw up your cross-country road trip for you – but we want to talk about the importance of including your aging loved ones in those plans.
We talked recently about how friendships and allies mean the world to people with Alzheimer’s. This applies to aging loved ones and the quality of life we can help provide them in their later years. Of course, there are challenges when bringing along grandma and grandpa on a trip, but we want to address those and help you come up with a more family-inclusive trip.
Have Multiple Records of Medication Needs
This might be the most important factor in your plans. As we get older, we often have a more consistent regimen of medications that will be necessary every day. Instead of just relying on your aging loved ones to keep track of their own medications, consider sitting down and making a written and digital record of what medications they need and when.
Creating multiple records protects you should some luggage get lost or should there be some confusion at some point during the trip. Keep these notes clear, concise, and organized. The same is true for the actual medications – organization is key! You don’t want to derail their medication schedule and end up with a devastating emergency in the middle of your trip.
Map Out Handicap Accessible Points
If your loved one is in a wheelchair or has other handicap needs it will be important to consider this at every stop on your trip. Is there accessible parking available at the hotel or resort you’re staying at? Can most or all amenities on a cruise be accessed by people with handicaps? Will there be enough space to accommodate the wheelchair or other equipment? These are all questions you need to consider as you come up with an itinerary for your trip.
Discuss Who is Willing to Stay With and Care For Them
If you’ve got big plans for a trip packed with different elements and various events then it may be a bit much for the older members of your vacation crew. That’s okay! Not everyone has to participate in every part of a vacation. However, you should consider having an adult who is willing to stay back with them in those cases.
Obviously, if your aging loved ones are able to fully capable of caring for themselves and don’t need assistance then they may be able to stay back alone. If they do need assistance and attention, though, you should have a plan for who will stay back during which parts of the trip. This reduces the risk of complications and frustrations later on.
Ask Them What They Want to Do
All of this isn’t about planning your dream vacation and then lugging along some “old person” with you. No, they are dignified and deserve respect just like anyone else who is in on the plans. So, what do they want to do?
Our loved ones possess a wealth of experience and information and may have some great insights into what certain parts of the vacation can offer the whole family. Maybe they’ll have some ideas you hadn’t considered. They also may have certain items they never got a chance to experience and want to see for the first time. This should be about making sure every member of the family gets the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful vacation together.The reality is we don’t have forever with our loved ones. These opportunities won’t be around forever, so why not make the most of them while they’re still here? At Elder Advisors Law, we care passionately about the quality of life for aging adults. Again, we can’t plan your vacation for you but we can help you have a plan for other important areas of life so you can have peace of mind and spend more time and effort planning fun trips in the new year. Contact our team when you need a firm dedicated to helping families and protecting generations.
