Dr. Carol Sargent
Contents
Step 2. Identify Your Worries
Step 1. Why Do You Want a Holiday
Step 3. Consider Your Transport
Step 5. Pick Your Activites
Step 7. Choose Your Accomodation
Step 10. Create Your Emergency Plan
Step 9. Create Your Detailed Itinerary
Step 8. Select Your Destinatio n
Step 4. Length of Your Holiday
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36 Resources
Get Ready to Go
Step 6. What Support Do You Need
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Step 1.
Why Do You Want a Holiday?
It’s a question we sometimes forget to ask
ourselves, whether we’re living with dementia or
not, but getting to the heart of the answer to this
will really help with much of your decision-making.
What do you enjoy doing at home and what would
you rather not be doing while you’re away? Making
a list of the things you don’t want to do, as well as
a list of the things you do, is a first step.
Are there any new experiences you’d like to try
together or alone? Would you like to meet new
people? Are there any activities or new hobbies
you’d like to explore?
Once you’ve considered these questions, the
kinds of destinations and holidays most suited to
you will start to make themselves clear.
Would you prefer to be around other people with
dementia?
If you‘re looking for holiday ideas, you can find
links to a variety of dementia-inclusive holiday
options on the Sargent Group Consulting website:
https://sargentgroup.consulting/useful-links
Top Tip!
Step 2.
Identify Your Worries
Sitting down before you go away and spending a
bit of time considering any challenges you might
face on your break is a great way to really be
prepared and reduce worries and concerns.
Make a list of any potential challenges you may
need to overcome, tricky situations you might
face, and things you need to allow for when you’re
away from home.
Run this list past friends and family, as well as
dementia experts you are in contact with so that,
together, you can come up with possible
solutions. You can then pick the solutions you are
most comfortable with
While this exercise might raise a few issues most
of us would prefer not to think about before
going on holiday, knowing you have prepared for
all eventualities will relieve your anxiety and help
you to relax, allowing you to holiday with greater
confidence.
Join Dementia Travel and Tourism
Facebook Group
This private and compassionate group is a warm
and welcoming place where you can chat to your
peers about travel, get recommendations, ask
others about challenges you may have in
common, and share your own handy hints and
tips about places you've visited and how to get
the most out of time away.
Book Your Free 30 minute Dementia
Holiday Advice Meeting
With lived-in and professional experience of
holidaying with dementia Sargent Group
Consulting can provide you with a range of
personalised solutions to any barriers and
worries. This session will assess if going on
holiday is right for you or answer questions.
www.sargentgroup.consulting/dementia-
travel-advice.
Top Tips!
Step 3.
Consider Your Transport
Your mode of transport can make a big difference
to your overall holiday experience. Discuss which
travel option is most relaxing and enjoyable.
Ask yourself how long you are comfortable
travelling and the amount of time you can manage
doing so. This will help you when it comes to
narrowing down your destinations.
Consider starting with a short travel distance
using a familiar and comfortable transport
method. It can be worth thinking about a different
mode of transport to the holiday. For example, if
trains are a favourite, a holiday which starts with a
a train journey, taking in particularly impressive
scenery could be worth considering.
If you find busy train stations stressful, consider
catching a train at a smaller station instead. For
example, rather than going through London,
travel by car to Peterborough or Luton and catch
the train there.
Top Tip!
In the UK we don’t necessarily consider air travel
for the dementia community but, in larger
countries such as the US, there’s lots of expertise
and knowledge that makes air travel across time
zones manageable.
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In some cases, whether or not air travel feels
manageable is less about the flight itself and
more about the additional support required at the
airports either end of the journey.
Don’t underestimate how tiring travelling is. I
encourage people to arrange special assistance
to make travel more enjoyable. You can find a
range of useful transport links on our website
www.sargentgroup.consulting/useful-links.
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Think as well about what is most realistic in
terms of how long you want to be away. You’re
aiming for a reasonable balance that is long
enough to make it enjoyable and relaxing, whilst
also minimising the pressure on you both.
Step 4.
Length of Your Holiday?
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We would recommend the shortest trip should be
4 nights as, from our experience, breaks shorter
than this generally don‘t give sufficient time for
those involved to settle into their new
environment so they can relax and enjoy
themselves.
Top Tip!
If you are planning a long journey of more than
three hours, build in time to acclimatise to your
new destination. Consider a couple of days at an
airport hotel after a long haul flight to recover
and adjust to any time differences before
starting your holiday.
Step 5.
Pick Your Activities
It’s great to try new things. It can be fun. We all
know the kind of regular novel stimulation we get
from learning a new skill or completing a puzzle
can help our mental agility.
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In our experience, striking a balance between new
and familiar activities is the best approach.
However, it’s also sensible to engage in familiar
activities, especially when you’re away from home
and staying in an unfamiliar environment.
In corporating activities that are part of your usual
routine at home can be helpful. For example, if it’s
part of your daily schedule to go for a walk every
lunchtime or to always watch a p articular TV
programme, continue with that while you’re away.
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The surrou ndings may be different but
maintaining even these small elements of familiar
routine can help with feelings of security and
being able to stay in the moment.
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Consider downloading the Snowball App which can
give you directions to disabled toilets as well as
reviews of places that are dementia inclusive and
wheelchair accessible.
You could also see if there is DEEP group close to
where you’re visiting and contact them to get
advice on dementia-inclusive places in their local
area.
If you want to find new activities, we suggest
having a look at the ones in Euan‘s Guide and the
Snowball, which have been reviewed by people
with lived-in experience of dementia.
Top Tip!
Step 6.
What Support Do You Need
Support can come in various ways, equipment,
technology, travel companion, care companion or
a personal care provider.
Think carefully about what support you will need.
If personal care is provided at home then you
should arrange to transfer your package of care.
Ask you current care provider if they can support
you or get in touch with Sargent Group Consulting
so we can introduce you to our trusted network.
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If you need specific
equipment then
make a list of what
is required and find
out if this can be
provided by your
property or if it can
be delivered by a
local company.
If you are worried about the transport to your
holiday then you might consider a travel
companion to accompany you or ask a family
member or friend to provide the transport.
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If you are daunted by going away yourself it may
be useful to arrange a holiday with a group of
peers living with dementia or family and friends.
They can provide you with some extra support and
reassurance if you need it.
Lastly you might want to consider downloading
and using some apps to support you getting
around your new destination, like Google Maps,
Uber or Snowball.
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Since the pandemic, a greater range of
delivery food services have arisen, often
providing healthier and even gourmet
options, so it’s worth exploring the local
options as part of your preparations.
Remember, supermarkets will also deliver
your regular shopping to your holiday cottage
so, even if you prefer to stick to cooking your
favourite dishes, there’s no need to take your
grocery shopping with you.
If incontinence is an issue for either of you,
arrange to have adequate supplies delivered
to your accommodation in advance or on the
day of your arrival. This means you won’t have
to travel with bulky pads, leaving your
luggage free to transport other essentials.
Top Tips!
Step 7.
Choose Your Accommodation
In choosing your accommodation, consider where
you and your loved one have enjoyed staying on
holidays over the years and what will be most
appropriate for your current day-to-day needs.
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Try and strike a balance between somewhere that
will provide you with what you need, without
introducing additional risks, like being
overwhelmed by too much stimulation in busy
places withs lots of people or large buildings.
Questions to ask yourself when thinking about
accommodation:
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Would you prefer to have meals at scheduled
times, chosen from a specific menu, such as
is the case in a hotel; or to have the kind of
flexibility around meal-times that a holiday
cottage provides?
What will you do on a rainy day?
What kinds of activities do you and your loved
want to be able to do your accommodation?
Are they made easier or more difficult by
particular kinds of accommodation?
What activities and facilities are nearby? Are
there attractions and local shops within
walking distance or would everything involve
a car journey?