My 84 year old mother lives with me and my wife. Thank God we have adult day care support during the week, since I work, and my wife needs the break during the days. On one of the weekends once or twice a month, I try to take my mother on an extended day trip driving 2 hours or so away, and it seems to be better for her than a short trip and sitting around in the living room with her AZ confusion all day. Has anyone else had this experience? Are there are pros or cons with such day trips versus being confused in the house? Clearly as the winter weather gets worse, it will be harder to do.
You will be able to tell when the outings become too much for her, and when she would be better off in familiar surroundings and a standard routine. Then make the trips shorter or stop them altogether. These outings are good for your wife, for you, and for Mom. I hope you will continue them as long as you can.
A nice destination in nasty weather is a plant nursery. My mother loved being wheeled up and down aisles and aisles of green plants and flowering plants and birdhouses and joyous garden things. And she loved picking out a small plant to buy. My husband loved the local conservatory with its tropical plants and serene feeling. He liked it for decades and when he got dementia he continued to enjoy it.
Winter scenery has its own special charm, but those of us in a harsh winter climate need the respite of blooming plants a few times in that season!
The only tip I can share is to take pictures on your outings. That will give Mom a chance to re-enjoy the trips between outings.
I haven't driven more than an hour with my cousin. She's in pullups and bathroom issues have not come up. As long as we keep riding, my cousin wouldn't know if we were in the same area or not, so I could just drive for 30 minutes and circle around a couple of times and return. I guess it's just the calm of the road, the trees, etc. that relaxes her.
I have noticed that at times my loved one is quite content on a long drive. She especially likes riding in the country. She wouldn't do well in traffic, but country riding seems to relax her and remind her of her childhood.
Is there some reason you don't feel comfortable taking you mom on these day trips? If it seems to help your mom, then I don't see the downside.