In this episode of The Memory Moment, Dr. Linda Ercoli explores what travel looks like in the second half of life when cognitive health becomes a factor. While travel remains deeply rewarding—offering connection, stimulation, and shared experiences—it requires thoughtful planning when a partner or loved one is living with memory challenges. Dr. Ercoli walks through when travel is still appropriate, when it may be unsafe, and how to prepare for potential risks such as separation, confusion, or medical needs. From air travel strategies to road trip planning, and even alternatives like respite care, this episode provides practical guidance for maintaining meaningful experiences together while adapting to new realities.
Dr. Linda Ercoli, PhD, is the Interim Director of the UCLA Longevity Center and is a geriatric psychologist specializing in neuropsychology, dementia caregiver education, and the management of behavioral symptoms in individuals with dementia. She has collaborated on numerous research studies focused on early detection of dementia, late life depression, healthy lifestyle interventions, and caregiver support. She conducts behavioral management training for paid and unpaid caregivers. Dr. Ercoli developed cognitive enhancement programs for individuals with mild age-related memory concerns and people cancer-related cognitive changes.
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Neil Rerup (00:06.242)
Hello everyone, my name is Dr. Linda Ergoli and welcome to The Memory Moment. Think of all the people who retire or are about to retire and they dream about having the time to travel. Well, over 70% of North Americans over the age of 50 travel regularly, averaging nearly four trips a year.
But what about if your situation has changed and your usual travel companion has a memory problem? Can you both still travel? And the answer is yes you can. It just depends on the circumstances. Now travel has lots of benefits for everyone, including people with memory problems. There’s social benefits, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures. There’s
A lot of cognitive stimulation, exposure to a new environment, new people, new places. Travel can mean exercise. It’s mood boosting, relaxing after a few days, and it is definitely a special time together. Now, some people with memory problems actually must travel.
And that’s because there may be an emergency situation or a moving need. When would it be ill-advised to travel if someone has a memory problem? It really depends on their behavior at home and their medical needs. So if somebody at home is agitated, meaning they can’t relax, they wander, they scream and yell, they have delusions.
Like they believe somebody is trying to break into their house, or hallucinations. If they’re very depressed and they can’t get moving, if they have sundowning, which is confusion in the late afternoon and evening, if they fall or dizzy, if they’re unstable regarding medical conditions, if they say repeatedly, I want to go home, I want to go home, even when they’re at home.
Neil Rerup (02:25.374)
And if they have difficult to manage incontinence, these may be reasons where travel would be ill-advised. Because if there if this is a problem at home, then the chances are pretty high that these problems are gonna continue while you’re away and get worse. As far as incontinence, that in and of itself may not be the problem, but it is a problem regarding how often, if it’s fecal incontinence.
Will you be able to access places where your loved one can change? So these are important factors. Another factor is what’s your health. Because if you’re going to be the caregiver with your loved one, are you well enough to take on the 24-7 responsibility of caring for a loved one while you’re on a trip together? There are some key rules or or factors in planning, right? And that’s to be prepared.
And plan your destination carefully. Also, use experts to help you make arrangements. There are travel agents that specialize in working with people with disabilities or dementia. There are services on cruise ships and airlines, and certainly at the airport. Inquire about help, getting, you know, moving through the airport, etc. Usually going to a familiar place is best.
But it’s not out of the question to go to a new place. Now, the most concern, the biggest concern about traveling, right, is an emergency happens. And one of those emergencies is becoming separated. So, what can you do in this situation? You want to be ready for that to happen, but of course, prevent it from happening. So, first of all, never leave your loved one with dementia alone when you’re away.
Even though you might be able to go to the store at home, you cannot leave your loved one at home while on a trip. Both of you should be wearing identification. Yours should be for you and who to contact in case of an emergency, but you also need information that says you are caring for somebody, and you need to have the name of that person, a picture of that person.
Neil Rerup (04:48.075)
Both of you carry copies of your passports. Similarly, your loved one needs to have an ID bracelet with your contact information, but also it would be good to have some kind of an alert system, a GPS tracker, safe return, something called medic alert or other tracking advices that you can use domestically, and then there are some.
That also can be used internationally. Also, check with your cell phone company to see if they offer anything like this. Another important feature with traveling is to be prepared for anything. Your loved one getting thirsty, needing a snack, having an accident, needing extra clothes. So bring a carry bag with you.
These extra things and also with spare medications.
Now, what about airlines? Well, air travel can be, you know, and airports are scary places and can be scary for for people with dementia. Certainly they’re chaotic for you know even people who are really experienced at traveling. So here’s a few trips. If you’re gonna travel by air, travel light so you can help your loved one. Bring those extra things on the plane with you, but
It’s not a good idea to bring these giant carry-ons that you’re trying to manage while you’re trying to help your loved one. Stay close to your loved one, wait in quiet places. You’re going to be going through security. Don’t wear jewelry, put liquids in their proper containers ahead of time. And you hold on to your loved one’s ID, ticket, and passport. Certainly use family security lanes, use family restrooms shortly before boarding.
Neil Rerup (06:48.59)
Pre-board and sit together. It also would be helpful to have a letter from your doctor that just says that you know your your loved one is under professional under professional care in neurology or or whomever you’re who is writing this letter for you and that he has dementia and that he can become confused, etc., and that you are his caregiver with him.
Now what about road trips? Road trips are great. Again, they’ll plan your route, right? Try to plan routes that have lodging along the way just in case you need to stop, right? And stop even before you expect to. Rest areas, amenities, stop for stretching. and again, bring comfort items on the road trip and also on a plane. items for busy work and staying entertained. So pillows, snacks, music.
Always allow more time and if you have another person with you, switch drivers. Now if you have someone who grabs the steering wheel while you’re driving, then that person should be sitting in the back, right? If your loved one does that, they should be sitting in the back seat, or maybe a road trip is not for them.
Neil Rerup (08:13.304)
Again, entertainment and exercise is really important. And we talked about some music but also scrapbooks. What about watching old movies on a tablet? And making sure that you take stretch breaks. When you’re at your destination, check the room for safety risks, right? Unplug coffee pots, look for throw rugs that maybe are in are curling up.
make sure that you get some rest. Space out the schedule of activities. Don’t pack in activities back to back. And schedule some rest days in between the activity days. Now try to keep your loved ones same schedule wherever you go. If they, you know, what time do they go to bed? What time do they get up? try to keep all of that in place. And again, prevent wandering. So this is a good.
Time to use doorknob covers so that your loved one isn’t necessarily triggered by seeing that doorknob and wanting to go out or even a portable door alarm.
Now what do you do? Do you jump in with both feet and take a trip? It’s wise to do a trial run. So take a for a short trip first, keep it to a familiar area, stay close to home, learn from that, see how it goes, and plan trip number two. Now what about if you don’t want to travel?
With your loved one, but you would like to travel alone or with somebody else. Well, don’t feel guilty. You are not abandoning your loved one. It’s important for your health, and it could be better for your relationship with your loved one. So people need some me time. But what about your loved one? What happens to them? Well, consider respite care. Respite care.
Neil Rerup (10:20.616)
Is a short stay at an assisted living or some other type of residential care facility. There are there are care facilities that do this specifically where you can your loved one can go there for a week or two. Also, you can have a familiar person stay at home with your loved one, and you might need to hire some additional help. Now, if you usually have help at home, by the way.
then you should not not have that help at home while you’re away. And discuss this with your loved one. They too, right, are be will be taking a vacation. Now I want to bring up one other thing: is should you be the only person traveling with your loved one? And that is a good question. Remember, you’re gonna be caring for that loved one 24 7. Are you up to it? Here’s a good rule of thumb.
If you have help at home on a day-to-day basis, then chances are you’re going to need help while you’re on the trip. But who should you bring? Who can you take? Well, one is consider taking a family member with you, right? and you the two of you can take turns, you can have some meet time, and both of you get breaks. Another would be depending on your income.
I some people bring their caregivers with them. So think about that. Think about the type of trip that you’re going to take. You know, cruises are considered great trips because everything is there on board the ship, and that might be a good alternative. You might have to change it up, right? So if you’re used to taking long trips overseas, then maybe you need to take a different type of trip, right? One that’s more amenable.
For you to go along with somebody who has a memory problem. So things may not be the same as they used to be, but that still does not mean that a loved one with a memory problem cannot travel. I’m going to put some resources at the end in the podcast page for you so you can check out some other important bits of information to help you on a trip. In the meantime,
Neil Rerup (12:46.968)
Thanks for listening. Bye bye.