Tips for Planning a Vacation with Your Elderly Loved One

By Jessica Ott | January 9, 2025 |

Does 2025 seem like a great year to take a family vacation? While some more extreme trips may require leaving Grandma at home with her home care provider, many trips can easily include her with some alterations and flexibility.

Vacations Are Great for All Ages

Home Care Thomasville PA – Tips for Planning a Vacation with Your Elderly Loved One

While many adults consider a vacation a chance to escape the routines and demands of daily life, vacations can also provide an escape for seniors. A good vacation not only provides entertainment but also a chance to reconnect with people or places that your senior loves. It gives her something to hope for as she waits and something to provide wonderful memories of once it’s over.

Five Tips for Vacation Planning with Seniors

Planning the perfect trip can be difficult so the first piece of advice is not to try to plan the perfect trip for everyone. If you have multiple people in your party, not everyone will be able to do everything they want. Talk to all adult attendees, find their top two or three activities, and then work with incorporating a little bit of everything for everyone.

That said, here are five important things to consider for just about any trip with your senior:

Openly discuss expenses. Make sure everyone is clear on who is paying for what before any plans are solidified.

Talk about the heart of the vacation. Is this vacation about discovering a new place or returning to an old favorite? Is it more about experiences or connections? Having everyone on the same page can help everyone enjoy the vacation more.

Discuss sleeping quarters. While young people can often sleep on the floor or on a couch, your elderly loved one needs something better to sleep on and often needs the quiet that a single room will provide.

Research transportation and mobility options. If you are planning a vacation to somewhere that requires a lot of walking, and your loved one has mobility issues, find out what options there are to ease their ability to get around safely.

Research food options. If your loved one is on a medically-based diet, make sure where you are going has plenty of options. You don’t want your loved one to have to eat the same thing every night because there’s only one choice.

Before You Go

Once you’ve decided where to go and have booked that trip, some things need to be taken care of for your loved one before you hop on that plane or jump in the car. Your loved one’s home care provider should be able to help your loved one get some of these steps taken care of if she needs assistance.

Check weather reports. Even if you’re traveling to a place that’s normally warm, check those weather reports about a week before you go to help your loved one pack appropriately.

Refill prescriptions. Your loved one should bring enough medications to cover the entire vacation plus a few days if stateside and an extra week’s worth if international. Also, make sure there is enough leftover at home so running to the pharmacist is not the first thing your loved one needs to do when she returns.

Let home care workers and other helpers know when your family is returning. If your loved one lives alone, it can be a great help to have her home care provider ready to help with unpacking and washing travel laundry.

**If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Thomasville PA, please get in touch with us. Our friendly staff can answer all of your questions. In-Home Senior Care in Adams and York Counties, PA. Call Today: (717) 698-8258.**

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Jessica Ott

Owner at A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC

Jessica Ott is the Owner at A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC.

A Helping Hand Home Care Services, LLC is dedicated to providing our clients with a better quality of life through our support services while maintaining their independence in the comfort of their own home.

As a Home Care Agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, we can provide families with peace of mind, knowing their loved one is in good hands.

We will work with you to prepare a care plan that incorporates your needs, your wishes, and your preferred schedule. Each client is matched with a caregiver who can best meet their individual needs, whether they reside in a house, apartment, condominium, assisted living, or nursing community.