BEHAVIOURAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE CASE OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: HOLIDAYS
When it becomes apparent that a person’s memory is failing and that he or she is becoming muddled, relatives often feel that a good holiday will sort the situation out. This is rarely a good idea. Not only will routine be disturbed, but the environment will be completely unfamiliar and all sorts of problems can arise. These range from incontinence because of an inability to find the bathroom in the middle of the night, even if it adjoins the bedroom, to emotional outbursts of either anger or tears. Many relatives have had to abandon a holiday after only a few days and return home.
Although I know of several elderly people who have successfully taken their husband or wife with Alzheimer’s disease abroad, air travel should only be attempted with much caution and probably only in the earlier stages of dementia. The cramped confines of an aircraft, the strange activities that appear to go on, and loss of touch with reality frequently cause problems. One elderly man with multiple infarct dementia, while watching the in-flight movie decided that he had had enough, didn’t like what he was watching, and wanted to go home. His wife thought that he was going to the toilet, which was just the other side of the gangway. Unfortunately he suddenly realized that he couldn’t see the exit, panicked, and caused a lot of distress to himself, his wife, and other passengers.
A safe and secure environment with which they feel familiar is much more important for people with dementia than a holiday.
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