Tips for Making a Road Trip with Your Senior More Comfortable

By Jennifer Benjamin | July 29, 2016 | Comments Off on Tips for Making a Road Trip with Your Senior More Comfortable

Senior Care in East Meadow NY

Traveling is one of the most popular activities that families enjoy together during the summer months. Though the summer is winding up, August is American Adventures Month, making it the Senior-Care-in-East-Meadow-NYperfect time for you to plan a last-minute trip with your family. Heading out on a road trip with your aging parent can be a fantastic time for you to encourage greater mental and physical activity, make memories that you can cherish for years to come, and give your parent and children time to spend together. These road trips, however, can be long and tedious so it is important to plan ahead in order to make sure that it is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

 

Try these tips for making a road trip with your elderly parent more comfortable this summer:

  • Do not over pack. Many people have the compulsion to bring along far more than they actually need when they are traveling. While this can make you feel like you have everything that you might need, it can also make for uncomfortable conditions within the car. Avoid packing so much that your parent feels “squished” or does not have room to move around within their seat. You also want to make sure that you have easy access to everything that you may need during the trip and at your stops.
  • Remember temperature sensitivity. It is hot outside, so your first compulsion when you get inside your car may be to crank up your air conditioning system to cool it off. While this will feel great for you and your children, it may be too much for your parent. Elderly adults have naturally lower body temperatures, which means that they feel cold much faster and more intensely. Be sure to bring along a blanket or jacket to ensure your parent feels comfortable throughout the trip.
  • Make snacks easily accessible. Snacking during a road trip is part of the experience, and can be an important part of keeping your parent comfortable. These snacks ward off hunger pangs between meals and can help to quiet unpleasant results of long-distance driving such as headaches and shakiness. Consider packing a new plastic tackle box with different snacks in each small compartment. This will help to keep the snacks contained to prevent spills, and provides different options throughout the trip.

 

If you are concerned about your parent taking vacation with you due to their challenges or limitations, you should not feel as though you are not able to take your trip. Instead, consider respite senior care. With this type of care, a senior home care services provider can step in to be with your parent while you are away. Whether it is just for a long weekend or for a week or more, this care provider will be able to maintain your parent’s schedule as much as possible so that they stay healthy, safe, and comfortable while you are away. Through a personalized approach to their care, a senior care provider can ensure that your loved one will get everything that they need when you are not in the home with them, allowing you to relax and enjoy your trip with the rest of your family. You can have confidence that your parent is in good hands, and they can have peace of mind that even while you are away they will still have the support and assistance necessary while they age in place.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in East Meadow, NY, please contact the caring staff at Family First Home Companions. Serving all of Long Island. Call today: (631) 319-3961

Jennifer Benjamin
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