Travelling, holidays and dementia

This help sheet provides information for families and carers about travelling with someone with dementia. It lists some warning signs for when travel may be inappropriate and some helpful suggestions for planning a trip and for travelling.

It is important for families and carers looking after themselves while they are caring for someone with dementia. This page discusses some ways to manage stress and to ensure that support is there so that you can continue in your caring role.

For people living with dementia, their families and carers. The Dementia Guide is an important resource for any person impacted by any form of dementia, of any age. The Guide contains information about the impact dementia may have on a person, the treatment, support and services they may need.
The 4th edition of this guide is now available to read online, download a pdf, listen to an audio version or request a print copy.

For those who enjoy travel, and want to continue to do so, this is a must-read both for patients and their loved ones. Whether visiting family and friends or venturing to a new location for fun, it's packed with practical tips and strategies that will remove many of the stressors created by travel. Find confidence in your ability to stayed engaged with people and places that matter—and continue to create memories! It may be difficult to imagine having a fun, successful trip if you're a person living with dementia, or someone caring for an affected person. Whether early in the diagnosis or further along the path of progression, with thoughtful preparation and adaptations travel is possible for many. This is the first book of its kind that considers what people living with dementia may experience during travel and helps travel companions know what to expect before, during, and after a trip. Embrace the concept that it is possible to live well with dementia, and find joy, purpose, and meaning along the way.

So when Ray's wife, Grace, first started showing signs of Alzheimer's disease (sometimes referred to as dementia) one of his first acts was to take her to the Princeton Brain Bio Centre in New Jersey where Grace was prescribed high powered vitamins, minerals and Omega 3. Ray firmly believes that these nutritional supplements allowed him to continue as Grace's devoted sole carer until her death nearly 12 years later. Early on Ray decided that he wanted to give Grace the very best quality of life he could and for him that meant ensuring that she continued to benefit from stimulation and enjoyment, even if her pleasure could only ever be transitory. Ray sold their home and used the money to take Grace travelling on a shoe string. Ray ensured that Grace continued to enjoy new experiences for as long as possible and the many pictures of them on their travels are a testament to the fact that Grace clearly did get a sense of pleasure from these expeditions to Europe, Asia, China and South America.

At its heart, this book is about how love gently lifts a corner of dementia’s dark curtain to cultivate an emotional connection amid memory loss. This collaborative work between a healthcare professional, caregiver, and relationship expert will: provide an overview of the love languages and Alzheimer’s disease; correlate the love languages with the developments of the stages of AD; discuss how both the caregiver and care receiver can apply the love languages; address the challenges and stresses of the caregiver journey; and offer personal stories and case studies about maintaining emotional intimacy amidst AD.

Carers are particularly vulnerable to feeling stressed, worried and worn down by the vast demands that often come with caregiving, be they physical, psychological or emotional. Mindfulness can be enormously beneficial to carers, whether professional or voluntary, as a means of developing greater inner stability, resilience and gaining more control over their thoughts, feelings and emotions. The book includes easy-to-use and enjoyable mindfulness exercises, short enough to fit into a busy day, as well as accompanying audio tracks to support and guide the reader through these exercises.

Book chapter: Swaffer, Kate and Low, Lee-Fay (2016). Travel and dementia. In: Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. London: New Holland, p.191-195.
This chapter covers, planning, accommodation, packing and insurance as well as other wisdom learned by the author in her travels.