Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. I will be traveling with my mother this holiday season. This is not a first for me, but a first dealing with incontinence challenges for her. Do you have any suggestions so that I can avoid any embarrassing moments for both of us?
A. Traveling through the holidays can be challenging for anyone. In your case, I can safely suggest that you plan, plan, plan. Before embarking on your trip, plan your schedule. Think through diet choices, keeping in mind that certain foods can aggravate incontinence, including coffee, tea, and alcohol. Spicy foods are also a no-no.
If you are driving to your destination, make sure you know where rest stops are located along the way and be mindful of them. Rest stops add to extra travel time, so you will need to plan extra time for stopping and any care needs. Planned stops might avoid accidents along the way.
If traveling by air or other mode, call ahead to be informed and ask if there are special accommodations for seniors. With this in mind, pack extra supplies, if possible. You won’t regret it. Once you arrive to your destination, make sure you know where to find supplies so you can re-stock appropriately.
Finally, keep your schedule light. Don’t over-book your day. Doing so may stretch both you and your mom, and this may rob your emotional energy. So try to be patient and enjoy the time away from home. Since this is your first trip with this “extra” consideration, try to make it as pleasant as possible. You don’t want it to set the stage for future trips.
My office received a generous donation of incontinence supplies, and I’d like to make those available to anyone in need. Please feel free to contact me to ask about what supplies we have on hand. If you think you can use what we have, call us at 847-429-0100, and we can help you schedule a pick up from our location.
• Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to apetersen@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
