Planning a road trip with someone who needs elder care can seem like a daunting challenge if you are not prepared for it. Any time that you are going to spend many hours in a car, especially with someone who may have bladder issues or other health issues, you need to plan this road trip more carefully.
No matter where you are planning to travel, as long as you have the following four items with you, this trip will be fun and exciting for you and everyone else in the car.
1. Clothing.
Even if it is in the heart of summer, which it is now, the evenings can get quite cool. Much of the country this year has found out just what polar vortexes can do to summer temperatures. Even if the forecast calls for 90° heat, the elderly individual should have a full change of clothing for each day that this trip will encompass.
Pack a sweatshirt, sweater, or light jacket in case evenings get cool. Also pack several pairs of socks each day. When your feet are uncomfortable, it can make every other part of the trip uncomfortable as well. If the senior has incontinence issues, be sure to pack extra adult pads.
2. Medication.
No matter how long you are going away for on this road trip, be sure to have enough medication each day for the elderly individual. If you’re going to be traveling so long that they will run out of a prescription, make sure that you could get a refill at your travel destination. If you cannot get a refill there, you want to refill the prescription before you leave.
3. Food.
Traveling in the car for a long period of time can make anyone hungry. There are usually rest stops across the country every 30 miles, but that is not always the case. You also don’t want to have to stop every time somebody has a craving for a snack.
Certain foods may not sit well with the elderly individual. So bring along some food items that they not only enjoy, but that will sit well in their stomach.
4. A good book.
Playing some games in the car can be fun for a while, but in time each person is going to want to do their own thing. If the elderly individual traveling with you enjoys watching the scenery through the window, then that is going to be fine. However, if you are talking about eight, nine, or even ten hours in the car, it can drag on. Encourage everyone to bring along at least one good book to read in the car.
If the person has a tendency to get car sick when trying to read, then maybe some music or a DVD player to watch movies could be a good solution.
When you pay attention to these elder care tips for the road, that next trip will be much smoother and more enjoyable for everyone involved.