Traveling with someone with dementia is not an easy undertaking. Simply changing location puts a dementia patient under stress. New impressions, unfamiliar surroundings and unfamiliar faces confuse and unsettle you. A relaxing one Vacation as a person with dementia is still possible. Special travel offers help to give dementia patients and their caregivers a valuable break from everyday life.
A break is good
The relatives of people with dementia bear a heavy burden. It is usually they who are entrusted with the care and care of the patient. According to the German Alzheimer's Society, around 70 percent of those affected live in a family environment. If the partner with dementia is cared for by the wife at home or the mother with Alzheimer's is cared for by the daughter, the relatives face a number of challenges.
Depending on how far the symptoms have progressed, the patient needs appropriate care. In the final stages, this can mean 24-hour care. Right from the start, the disease puts stress on living together. Affectionate dealings with relatives, who are becoming more and more forgetful, strains patience, conversations repeat themselves, sometimes every minute.
The unforeseen can upset, which in some patients leads to aggressiveness. The relatives suffer from the pressure of having to be permanently present. The focus within the family is increasingly based on the needs of the sick, so that caregivers can quickly fall by the wayside. Hence a Vacation with dementia patients a very useful change from everyday life.
Relaxed vacation for sick people and relatives
This is why the vacation offers that now exist for dementia patients and their relatives are designed for both parties. Not only the patient should benefit from the recovery effect, the accompanying person should also be able to recharge their batteries during this break. To ensure this, the protected environment of dementia patients comes first.
Only those who know their partner or parent are in good hands can plan their own ventures with a clear conscience. While the patients are cared for by experienced staff, the relatives can take part in organized excursions or use the time for themselves. Some organizers offer additional training courses and lectures in which relatives are informed about the clinical picture itself, as well as offers of help from care services and opportunities for financial support.
The exchange with other affected persons is also part of the concept. Relatives find out that they are not alone with their worries and needs and they can learn new strategies for dealing with the disease on a daily basis.
Holidays according to individual wishes
The stay in the specially selected hotels is characterized by clear structures. A fixed daily routine provides the hold that is so important for dementia patients. Small, manageable houses with easily recognizable orientation aids make it easier to find your way around. In order to take into account the special needs of the guests, accessibility, special offers in nutrition and a medical connection are necessary.
The staff knows about the idiosyncrasies of their guests and will not be surprised if the receptionist keeps asking for the room key, even though the guest has it in his pocket - nor will one wonder why a visitor tirelessly over with his rollator drives the aisle.
There are now offers all over Germany, preferably in the holiday regions on the North and Baltic Seas, the Lüneburg Heath, in the Rhön or in the Black Forest. Abroad you can book stays in Austria, Italy and even in Greece and Thailand. Different factors should be taken into account when making the selection: Is there a region that people liked to travel to and that have positive memories?
Should a short travel route be chosen or do you even trust the patient to take a longer flight? What about on-site medical care? Do the courses suit the preferences of the person concerned? And last but not least: Where would the relatives feel comfortable and could they imagine relaxing days?
Financial support from the state
Whether it will be eight days in Franconian Switzerland, two weeks in the Baltic Sea or three weeks in Greece also depends on your budget. One does not have to bear the costs of such a trip alone: By means of the so-called preventive care, which is supposed to guarantee the care of the patient during the caregiver's vacation, a subsidy of a maximum of € 1,612 per calendar year can be applied for via the care insurance.
The duration of use is limited to a maximum of 42 calendar days. The prerequisite for this is that the dementia patient has already received care allowance and has been cared for in the home environment for at least six months. In order to take full advantage of this and possible other financial aid, travel organizers with dementia patients offer appropriate information meetings and assistance in submitting applications.
You can find your medication here
➔ Medicines against memory disorders and forgetfulnessPeople with dementia also need a change of scenery
A vacation with a dementia patient, provided it is well planned and thought out, can represent a harmonious and relaxing break for both of them. It gives the patient special moments that would be difficult to generate in the home environment. He releases the relatives, strengthened by the time off, with new impulses in his daily care routine.
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