4 Summer Travel Tips for Caregivers
Its June and summer is here! The longing for a holiday is in the air for many caregivers. However, the thought of taking time off can deter the 40+ million family caregivers who support and aid a loved one with everyday needs. Take a deep breath and remember balance is important for maintaining the health of the caregiver and the caregiver’s well-being.
Thrive USA Home Care helps make it possible to go on a summer vacation, attend a special family event, or whatever your potential plans are. We work with many families who take a smooth holiday vacation, even traveling overseas or across the country, and who are not always very accessible. Assess your personal situation, do some research and make a plan to get you ready. Come and think about it, it’s like planning the trip itself!
Make Arrangements in Advance
Make arrangements well in advance of your vacation for alternative caregivers. With just a week’s notice, do not expect other family members to take full responsibility for care. Ensure that replacement caregivers are aware of the dates and expectations they will provide for care. If a friend or family member is not a viable option, you also can hire a professional caregiver who will stay during the day, night, or both. A local ThriveUSA caregiver can be there to support your loved one while you enjoy your vacation.
Take into Account Location and Flexibility
If you’re in control of where you’re going, you might want to think of somewhere that’s accessible and relatively close, if you had to go back in an emergency. You may be more anxious about the idea of being out of communication than it is worth. Communication is now possible from nearly anywhere and fairly easy. Of course, it may not be best to have a remote location overseas with slow internet or no wifi. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be in constant communication while you are out of town. Make sure you’re allowed to take a break. However, knowing that you can be reached may help to ease your mind.
Provide Clear Direction For Your Caregiver
When it comes to the day-to-day activities, medication, appointments, diet, and exercise that your loved one will need and expect while you’re away, be very clear with family, friends or the caregiver on hand. Collect all the important information and documents for your alternative caregiver, including physician numbers, therapy services, preferred hospitals, medicines, and other information, and keep them in a safe place. It will keep everything in order and reduce your stress by creating a detailed plan with a list of emergency contacts as well as key legal documents.
Deal with Stress
Recognize that you and your loved one are going to have a degree of worry and stress because this is a routine change. It is often necessary to remind caregivers that part of caring for someone else is caring for you. Recognizing that need for relief and acting on it is probably the greatest gift you can give to your loved one. It is the gift that will allow you to continue caring.
What are your tips for taking a stress-free vacation? Comment here on this post and keep the conversation going.
Contact Thrive USA at (301) 882-4717 for respite care help on a regular basis or for your travel plans. When you want real peace of mind, we’re here to help!