Traveling CareGivers

Home For The Holidays—Phoenix Travel Companions Assist With Elder Travel

By Captain Gary Bates, Trans World Airlines retired

In this article:

Travel becomes difficult for an aging population

Booking a flight and getting to the plane

During the flight and arriving at the destination

How Travel Companions Assist with Elder Travel

Customizing Travel for Seniors

How Travel Companions Can Get You There When The Family Can’t

Holidays are a special time, filled with memories of the past and lots of family fun. Getting the family together becomes more and more difficult as we age. Holiday travel is the heaviest and most confusing time for anyone and especially difficult for elder travel. Seniors separated from family members come to a point where it is just too much hassle and even unsafe to try to travel to family gatherings by themselves.

As an aging population, and travel becoming more high tech, senior travel becomes an even greater challenge. Seniors stop traveling because of a variety of factors.

• Mobility difficulty, walkers, wheelchairs or just moving slowly
• Anxiety
• Impaired judgment and trusting strangers
• Difficulty seeing and hearing at airports
• Loss of balance
• Personal assistance needed during travel
• Confusion during the security process
• Handling baggage
• Possible flight cancelations
• Being forced to stay overnight at a connection airport
• Rebooking missed connections
• Vulnerability to theft

Booking a flight and getting to the plane

Air travel today is fast, efficient and safe unless you are impaired by some of the above problems. When we bring grandma home for Christmas or Hanukkah, we can find a flight and book space for her. Maybe she can get help getting to the departure airport, but the steps in getting to her seat on the airplane can be daunting. Will she check her bags at the curb or at the ticket counter? Can she navigate escalators and long walkways with a cane or walker? Can she arrange for a wheelchair? Can she work the credit card scanner to get a boarding pass and get through security? The potential for problems are endless.

During the flight and arriving at the destination

All too often seniors are sent on flights alone where they need a lot of assistance. They can become confused or embarrassed by situations that you or I would not think twice about. Simple things like handling a broken seat, getting a drink of water of navigating the lavatory and toilet can be overwhelming to someone who is confused, can’t hear or is anxious. Seniors frequently say, “I don’t want to be a bother to the flight attendant”, or “they are probably too busy” so I’ll just put up with my problem. Over the years I have seen many wet seat cushions because of this kind of thinking. Now the senior feels embarrassed and looses the joy of the journey.

When a flight is canceled at a connection point or worse yet, is diverted to an alternate airport, confusion reigns. The passenger lines are long and tempers can flare. Is there another flight today or are we getting a voucher for a hotel and meals? This is no place for a senior alone who is a little confused and slow to start with.

I once had a flight to Baltimore which diverted to Pittsburg because Baltimore closed in snow. Because of delays it was after midnight at Pittsburg and most of the airport staff had gone home. Here we were with a plane load of people including children traveling alone and some elders who were lost and waiting for help and direction. Imagine being stuck at an airport that is mostly closed in the winter and in the snow.

Our flight crew rose to the occasion finding hotel rooms, and arranging vans to the hotel.

Now, for the unaccompanied children (even up to 16 years old) and elders. After arranging for rooms, the flight crew, flight attendants and pilots, helped make phone calls to the worried parents of the children and families of the stranded seniors in Baltimore.

Some seniors have cell phones, however they can become confused with poor reception, retrieving messages, or just keeping it charged. Cell phones can become a false sense of security for the senior and the family at home.

All ended well and everyone got to their destination the next day. If it were not for this flight crew going way above and beyond their duties, the evening would not have ended as well as it did.

Travel Companions Assist with Elder Travel

Phoenix Travel Companions are available to assist seniors to the airport and onto the plane, travel with them all the way to the destination, or provide caregiving for the entire trip.

In the problem areas listed above I have seen Professional Travel Companions

Smoothly and professionally handle everything for their elder travel clients.

Beginning with planning the trip, to avoiding potential problems on board, to arrival at the destination, Travel Companions can handle everything.

• Trip planning
• Transport to the airport including wheelchair lift vans
• Navigating the airport, check-in, getting through security faster, restroom stops,

boarding the plane early to allow extra time

• Assistance on the plane, appropriate seats, meals and drinks, help with the lavatory and personal needs, deplaning at destination
• Navigate through arrival airport, claiming baggage and arranging transportation

Customizing Travel for Seniors

It is important for your trip planning to be appropriate for elder travel.

Some considerations for senior travel planning:

• Planning travel on less busy days to minimize confusion and delays, travel a day or two early for a more relaxing flight
• Appropriate packing, what should we have in carry on bag?
• A comfortable place to wait for the flight
• The best time of day for departure and arrival
• The number of stops and allowing connection time
• Seat selection on board, no emergency rows, choose isle or window, bulkhead rows may help or hurt, the last row seat in a cabin may not recline
• Meals, snacks and drinks on the way, proper hydration is critical
• Medication access and reminders
• Supplemental oxygen may make all the difference at altitude
• Mark bags to easily recognize bags at baggage claim
• Planning transfer to destination on arrival
• Enjoying the rest of the vacation

Travel Companions Can Get You There When The Family Can’t

Sometimes the time off from work for family members is limited. Elder Travel Companions can handle the traveling so that the family can spend all their time together for the holidays. If you just have 3 or 4 days off from work for a holiday, you don’t have to spend your precious time traveling. Let your traveling caregiver bring your elder family member to you ahead of time so you can spend all of your days off enjoying family time together at home.

Your Phoenix travel companion can provide transportation services, or provide caregiving for the senior for the entire time. This may be very helpful for weddings or family reunions where the family is pressed for time and need help with caregiving. The idea of a family reunion is for everyone to relax and enjoy each others company.

For an Elder Travel Assistant contact Care To Go at 800-818-0407 or at www.caretogotravel.com