Vacation planning can be a lot of work, especially when the destination is one that is far from home and the normal services that provide you with home health care. Careful thought and consideration must go into the planning to ensure a smooth trip. For families and caregivers who may be traveling with an elderly loved one, the planning part of the trip tends to be even more crucial, given the special needs and requirements that most some elderly people may have. Planning a vacation around mobility issues, medical equipment, and special diets can be a tedious task. Here are some things to consider when planning an extended trip with an elderly loved one who may have special needs.
Medications
For elderly people with serious health conditions, the medications that they are taking can sometimes be the difference between life and death. For this reason, it is especially important to have on hand all of the medication they may need before embarking on an extended trip. If possible, a backup supply of each medication should be taken, packed in a separate location from the regular supply. This way, if luggage is lost or misplaced, caregivers will still have one set of the medication on hand. It is also prudent to investigate how easily it will be in the destination location to get prescriptions replaced and refilled, if the need should arise.
Medical Equipment
Medical equipment such as glucose meters, heart monitors, and oxygen tanks should be thoroughly inspected by a qualified professional for any problems before being taken on an extended trip. An adequate supply of necessary accessories to this equipment, such as tubing, cords, and test strips should also be ready accessible. When receiving home health care it is easy to build up a huge range of vital equipment, so suitable transport needs to be considered as well.
Physician contact information
When traveling any distance with a person who is under a doctor’s care, it is always prudent to have detailed contact information for their health care professional in the event of an emergency while out of town. If possible, this information should also include any colleagues of an elderly patient’s regular doctor who may be practicing in the travel destination. Having this information handy travel can go a long way in providing peace of mind to the caregiver travel companions.
Medical history and information
A brief, but detailed medical history should always be on the list of things to pack when traveling with an elderly person. The history should include, of course, a complete list of medications they are taking, but also any known food or drug allergies and the name and extent of any medical conditions that they are currently under a doctor’s care for.
Taking a vacation, even whist receiving home health care, is vital to rejuvenating oneself both mentally and physically.