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Are You Thinking of Bringing Your Parents on a Family Vacation?

After two long years of the pandemic, many families are starting to arrange much-needed vacations again. You want to take a vacation this summer, but you’re a family caregiver. You’re considering bringing your parents, but they’re not sure they’re ready or willing to travel. What are your options? Would having 24-hour home care services for your parent be able to help?

Find Out Why Your Parents Are Hesitant

Why are your parents hesitant about going on vacation? They may worry about slowing you down due to their limited mobility. If that’s the case, you could arrange some activities with them and have some time to explore while they stay at the hotel or resort and relax.

They may not like the destination you’ve chosen. See if you can negotiate with them to come up with a city everyone wants to visit.

The trip you’ve planned involves a plane. Your parents don’t want to fly. Is there a place you could go by car or train instead?

Your parents may not want to travel yet due to the pandemic. If that’s the case, respect their anxiety. If they’re not ready, there are ways to make sure they’re supported while you take the vacation you need.

They’re Staying Home so Plan Ahead

Your parents decided to stay. Create a schedule of the things you help them do each day. You’ll be getting others to help out while you’re away. Other family members need to be able to jump in and follow your routine. A care plan helps them with this.

Think about everything you do. How often do you shop and run errands? What times of day do your mom or dad eat, take medications, and get exercise? Create a list of when you do the housekeeping, how often you do the laundry, and other important details that will help other family caregivers.

If you don’t have a laminated list of your parents’ doctors, dentists, and other health professionals, create one. It helps to have the information posted to the refrigerator. On that list, note any chronic health conditions, medications, and allergies. If there is an emergency, it can save time to have the necessary information in one location.

Arrange to Have 24-Hour Home Care Providers Stay With Them

While you’re away, have you considered the benefits of 24-hour home care? If you worry about your mom and dad being alone all night, have caregivers cover all day and night hours. Your parents have 24-hour home care aides to help with meals, snacks, personal care, housekeeping, transportation, and more.

They’ll have caregivers working in shifts to make sure someone is awake and ready to help your parents with whatever they need. The arrangements might be to have four caregivers working six-hour shifts or three caregivers for eight-hour shifts. No matter what arrangement is made, you can travel without worrying about them being alone.