A few things to remember.
Have you began traveling again? I’m just wondering if you have taken a recent road trip or will be…
It seemed that, starting in May or June, many felt the bad stuff was over and started to venture out again. Then July and August hit and some people are sheltering in place again.
Statistics from AAA show that 2020 travel was down nearly 50% from 2019. However, Harvest Hosts, which is a membership organization for RVers states that “after the rough year we had in 2020, people are itching to hit the road”. Their survey indicates that “seventy-six percent of respondents said they plan to travel more than they did in 2020”.
Of course, to be fair, the aforementioned article was written in January of this year when we all thought that the worst of this Covid stuff was past us.
What have you seen in your area? Do you see people still getting out despite the Covid / Delta-variant-style fears? Or have you seen people retreating back into their caves to wait it out a little while longer.
What about you? Are you traveling more or less than you were in 2019? More or less local travel? What about traveling in your state? Have you or do you plan to take a longer trip this year via airplane?
Road Trip with the Elderly
How has your travel with your elderly parents changed? Traveling with a senior can be challenging in the best of times. You may have to stop more for bathroom breaks, to eat or just to stretch. It’s hard for seniors to ride in a car for hours on end. Here’s a few tips for the brave few who are going to venture out this year on a road trip with elderly parents.
Five Traveling with Momma Travel Tips
- Check with their doctor. Are they up for the trip?
- Take medications and supplements with you.
- Pre-plan for emergencies. We talk a lot about pivot planning. This Pivot Planning from the car – in a strange place. Guess we could call this “Pivot Planning Extreme”! Plan in advance the places you would go if something bad happened. Just like pilots always know the closest airstrip they could land at if necessary, you need to know the closest regional hospital or health care facility if needed.
- Have your route and your stops planned out in advance. This is especially important in the days of Covid. Where do you plan to make your regularly scheduled stops? Pick the safest looking places in advance. AND obviously plan for more stops than normal.
- You never know which trip will be the last one you get to take. So, take your time and enjoy the process.
New Variants, New Opinions?
Now that we have the Delta variant with us, how has this changed things for you? Some of the families that I have talked with about this have curtailed road trip plans with their senior parents until next year (2022). They are afraid that with all of the stops that they would have to make on their road trip, the risk of their parents contracting Covid would be high – and they just don’t want to take the risk.
This is not a scientific, statistically relevant survey – this is just Doug talking to some of our clients about this issue. So in the spirit of further research, please let me know how you feel about the travel issue this year – especially travel with the seniors in your life.
If you do choose to travel with your beloved seniors this year, we wish you the best and remind you to enjoy the process!
We want to be friends!
Ok. That might come off a little fast, considering we barely know each other. However, we fully understand the stress and turmoil that you are facing as Family Caregiver – including personal experiences with burnout.
In our time as caregivers, we have amassed a wealth of knowledge that we desire to pass on. Likewise, we have met many professional caregivers, as well as other family members who were thrust as Family Caregiver. All caregivers have shared the same advice – Join a community! There is nothing more cleansing for our situation than knowing that we are not alone!
We have since created Caregiver Connection. Caregiver Connection is a newsletter that we write personally and send to fellow Caregivers. It is full of tips, tricks, direction and even professional advice. If you would like to sign up, click the button below.
Please Invite Someone to Our Newsletter
Being an Adult Kid who is helping mom as she is declining can be a scary, frustrating and lonely place lacking stability. You feel like you are solely responsible for solving Mom’s problems while managing yours. It is a very difficult emotional ‘road trip’! Some occasional input and a community to plug into would help, especially when facing burnout! This is a way that all of us can be working together as caregivers!
Many others that you may personally know are having to figure it all out by themselves. Most of them have no community. Please take a minute and do them a favor. Copy this link – help.mom/cc – and send it to them in an email or private message. They can click on it and subscribe to our newsletter for free.
Then they can enjoy weekly tips and encouragement. They no longer have to feel so alone in their family caregiver journey. They will appreciate the favor! Thank you for thinking of them!
Thank You for being a Caregiver for Your Loved One – you are making a huge difference in their life!
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