Are there such things as Alzheimer's friendly vacation locations/experiences?
I want to plan a vacation for my family, which includes a loved one with Alzheimer's and some physical limitations. Are there vacation destinations specifically designed for loved ones and their care partners and family?
Our family loves taking a cruise as we have found that they are very good with my husband who has Alzheimer's. Most everything is handicapped accessible and I have to do nothing as far as house cleaning or food. The kids are entertained and the people on the ship soon learned who my husband is and are very caring (both the staff and the vacationers.) You can sometimes get some very good buys on some of these ships for a family with all the rooms joined by exterior decks. Lots of fun as a group but also has that needed privacy.
This is exactly what I needed to read. Thank you. Do they have activities and things to do for those with these kinds of needs? Scott Alzheimersdisease.net team member 
I love this! Thank you for this suggestion. I went on a cruise of the Greek Islands and Turkey when I was a kid. My family of four was in a tiny room with two bunk beds in the bottom of the ship which was pitch black when the light went out. My parents figured the majority of our time we wouldn’t even be in our room except to sleep. I think it’s much better now, at least I hope so!
Each cruise line will be different and I would do lots of research. John is still very high functioning and can handle many situations so we take a "cheap" cruise on Carnival which is geared towards families. The other lines have more amenities and just need to be contacted to ask what they have. Each line will assign you a personal representative who will answer your questions about the where's, what's, and why's. I imagine that you will find Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, the smaller cruise ships on the east coast in the northern states and on the rivers, in the US, etc. more accommodating. It will entirely depend upon each line and exactly what your needs are for your loved one. We loved the Holland America when we went to Alaska because it was full of older adults and was not the "party boat" that we saw with Carnival. But both had great food and similar cabins. The Holland American had a higher quality of entertainment especially in music. Food was wonderful in both. In all the ships there are so many wonderful places to sit and just watch the world go by. They are outside, inside, eating, walking and all contained. Bit of trivia--anyone over the age of 70 will probably not be given seasick patches so be prepared with Dramamine or other products recommended by the doctor. Also, take out the additional insurance coverage if you leave the States as Medicare will not follow you.
Absolutely--too risky with our problems and age. that’s so good and helps so much. I don’t like starting from scratch and going in blind. I really appreciate it. Scott, let’s go in a cruise!!
There is a company that specializes in ALZ cruising and offers special support team, separate group dining and activities for caregivers and LOWDs. It's called Elite Travel
https://www.elitecruisesandvacationstravel.com/Thank you for the link and response. I am definitely going to check this out. Have you vacationed with this group? What was it like? Scott AlzheimersDisease.net Team Member
Well, everyone doesn't have the money to take a cruise. I have my family to visit, and the environment is not conducive to my mon. She does not enjoy children, animals, or noise. This is necessary in situations where there are young children an teens. I have left my children and grand-children, and great grands to take care of my mom. Been doing this for 11 years now. She gets very erratic when I get caregivers. They will not come back. I have no family that will help with care. Any suggestions would help.
Thank you for your reply and for sharing your life with our community. I really admire your love and care for your mom. It sounds like you have a very situation. Do you have others that you can connect with live via the Internet or phone? You could engage people while you are with her and possibly wear earphones. This could be family/friends/other caregivers. You could control the environment while still getting the benefit of interaction with others. When you say that she does not enjoy or noise, does that include music? What does she like to do? Scott AlzheimersDisease.net Team Member
