My father has lewy body dementia.. Can't see, is wheelchair bound, has some horrible hallucinations (little people w/ big black eyes that want to kill him and my dogs), and his short-term memory is failing a bit..
Here is my dilemna.. He wants to go on vacation.. Ideal vacation spot for him is Florida.. This would mean either 24 hours in the car or a 2 - 3 hour flight.. Part of me wants to take him, but realistically, I wouldn't be able to handle him on my own..
Has anyone travelled w/ a loved one who has dementia / AD..? Should I take his caregiver..? Find someone in the vacation state..? It's just me.. Torn..!
My advice is take Dad on vacation if you possibly can. Maybe it can't be his ideal spot. What does he like best about Florida? What destinations are closer to him that might offer some of these things? Some of his favorite things are better than nothing, even if not "ideal."
If possible, taking someone with you that he knows and trusts would be better than hiring a stranger at the destination.
If you go all the way to Florida you may feel you should stay a while to make that travel worthwhile. If you can find suitable near-by destinations you can do shorter stays that may suit his stamina better.
I tried to get full value out of each of our trips by giving him the pleasure of anticipating it. He'd study the brochures and talk about the trip for a couple of weeks ahead. I took tons of pictures on each outing -- near or far, a couple days or a couple of weeks -- and put a scrapbook (electronically) together so he could enjoy the memories afterwards.
His LBD specialist was very much in favor of travel for him.
As an aside ... about the hallucinations. Most LBD hallucinations are benign and do not need treatment. But it sounds like Dad's are very bothersome. Have you discussed possible treatment for them with his doctor?
Sounds like maybe YOU need a vacation... leave dad home ; )
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