Alzheimer's disease and vacations...should you go or not go?

As the end of summer approaches, many families make plans to take a vacation to a fun place or just to relax and have a change of scenery. If you are a caregiver of a family member with Alzheimer’s disease then you will have to make appropriate plans based on the stage of the person’s memory loss. The impairments caused by the disease may affect traveling and make the trip difficult, not only for the person suffering memory loss, but also for the caregiver and other family members.

In general, vacations do not “relax’ a person with Alzheimer’s disease nor does he or she necessarily return “better off.” The person with Alzheimer’s disease usually forgets the vacation experiences immediately upon return home. Many people with Alzheimer disease will ask when it is time to go home as soon as they leave their permanent home. Strangers, foreign languages, customs, food, water, accommodations, climates, time changes, busy terminals, planes, trains and buses are all known to precipitate catastrophic reactions in the Alzheimer’s disease person. In fact, many families first notice the person’s symptoms on a vacation.

If the vacation that is planned is too difficult for the person suffering memory loss then respite care is available at most Alzheimer assisted living facilities in our community. The family member can be checked in to spend their “vacation” for several days or longer depending on availability. They will have their own room, be part of the Alzheimer assisted living community, be under 24 hour care and be able to participate in the facility’s activity programs until the caregiver returns from their trip. Respite care can also be arranged in the home through one of the many agencies that provide senior care services. Call the Alzheimer Association – Utah Chapter at 801-265-1944 for referrals or check www.alz.org/utah for more information.