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Alzheimer Travel

© Traute Klein, biogardener

Even a person with advanced Alzheimer's disease can travel alone across the continent if detailed arrangements are made.

Love of Travel

When my mother came down with Alzheimer's disease at age 60, she did not lose her love of travel, and she depended on me to turn her dreams into reality. Whenever possible, I continued to take her along on our family travels. I also wanted her to escape the long cold Manitoba winters when everyone else in the family was tied down with work. So I devised a system which enabled her to travel to a milder climate alone by Greyhound bus in spite of her considerable handicap of memory loss.

It would have been easy to book a vacation where the tour guide would have watched over her all day long every day. The cost of such vacations, however, was beyond our financial means.

Instead, my mother spent at least one winter month with one of her relatives in California, Oregon, or British Columbia. All of them enjoyed her company, because she continued to be a great conversationalist right into old age, and she was always eager to please her hosts.

I figured out the Greyhound Bus itinerary and paid for all tickets. The relatives at the destination were waiting to pick her up on arrival. I stayed in touch with them by telephone. Her timetable was written out in great detail on a piece of cardboard which she carried in her purse. On that piece were also listed all relevant telephone numbers. The printing was large enough to be read even when Mutti misplaced her reading glasses which was frequently. Just in case, a tag with her name and my telephone number was attached to a necklace in plain view.

Like me, my mother made friends with fellow passengers readily, and they gladly helped her, even those who did not understand her.

When we ran out of relatives to visit, I found a year-round Christian retreat in Florida where I prepaid board and room. The camp limousine transported her to and from the bus depot. There she enjoyed the daily camp meetings with lively music. Her return schedule was also nailed down.

The camp was far enough removed from civilization to prevent my mother from wandering away and getting lost as was her habit in Winnipeg.

This system worked so well, that my mother was able to keep on traveling into her mid-eighties, a considerable feat for a person with advanced Alzheimer's disease.

The copyright of the article Alzheimer Travel in Senior Fitness is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish Alzheimer Travel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.