Taking a break with someone with dementia

Holidays are an important safety valve in our busy lives, offering a chance to relax, freshen up and spend time with the people we love, doing the things we enjoy best.

Of course, if someone you love is living with Dementia, booking a holiday with them might be the furthest thing from your thoughts, but with careful planning, a short holiday or break might bring benefits to them, as well as you.  

Things to consider

Above all else, it’s important to start your planning based on the person with dementia’s personal circumstances, their needs and your relationship with them.

For example, travelling and holidays can be the source of stress for almost anyone, so thinking about whether they enjoyed holidays and the associated travel, prior their dementia diagnosis, is a good starting point.

It’s also worth considering the changes that have resulted from dementia. In particular, ask yourself if they are likely to struggle with changes of location, and associated details like food, sleeping arrangements and meeting new people.

Most holidays involve a considerable amount of travel, so ask yourself how they will cope with long periods seated and accessing different forms of transport.

Then, once you’ve arrived, think about how will they cope with the accommodation and the layout of wherever you might be staying?

Important details can make a break possible

This can all seem rather daunting, but there are some ways to build a holiday that suits you as well as your loved one with dementia.

• Limit the duration - Shorter trips may be better for both of you. Perhaps try some day trips which remove the potential issues of stating and sleeping in an unfamiliar location.
• Embrace familiarity - people with dementia are often more comfortable in places they know well. Did they have a favourite holiday destination or location? It might be a town or place where they lived previously and perhaps somewhere with happy associations.
• Choose favourite activities – consider taking them to a place where they can undertake a familiar activity: perhaps a favourite outdoor market; a nostalgic mode of transport (steam train for example); a favourite village or beach.
• Make the journey part of the break – overcome the difficulties of long journeys by breaking them at interesting and relaxing locations.
• Share the care – take someone with you who can help you to care for your family member with dementia.
• Sharing the planning - It’s always worth involving the person with dementia in your planning. Talking to them can help you to gauge their ability to cope with and enjoy the break or holiday.

More Information

• The Alzheimer’s Society’s website is a good source of tips for holiday planning an they’ve got a detailed article dedicated to the subject - read article
• Dementia UK also has some good advice and information, including a detailed FAQ - read article
• Age UK has a guide to planning and dementia-friendly holiday - read article

It’s also important to be honest and, in some circumstances, especially in the later stages of dementia, a holiday or even a short break may simply not be possible. In these cases, if you are the person with dementia’s main carer, your own need for a holiday or respite from day-to-day care, is important to acknowledge.

• The NHS website has a good guide to respite options for carers – read article.

Bluebird Care - Providing Care For You & Your Loved Ones

Home care and Live-in Care are both excellent options if you are looking to take break from caring. At Bluebird Care, we offer both these types of care, along with a range of permanent and one-off dementia care support options. These can help you to get a break, or to ease the day-to day workload of providing care. Having support can also make it easier to maintain your relationship with the person with dementia. Care can be extremely hard work and freeing yourself from some of the burden can make it easier to remain close to the person you are caring for.

If you are interested in Home care, Live-in Care, Dementia-care or want to discuss other care options, call us on 01274 649090 for an informal chat, email us on bradford@bluebirdcare.co.uk or use this website's chat facility – all our care packages are bespoke, created to support the unique needs of unique individuals.