http://www.care2.com/greenliving/travel-for-someone-with-a-chronic-condition.html
Travel for Someone With a Chronic Condition
posted by Mel, selected from Caring.com Jun 12, 2009 12:00 pm
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- Let the person’s primary care doctor know of your travel plans.
- Take more of the person’s medications than needed, along with a list of names and dosages.
- Check with the doctor to see if an immunization against Hepatitis A is recommended if traveling to high-risk areas.
- Take a list of all medical conditions.
- Use a Medic-Alert identification bracelet for the person in care.
- Take a copy of his EKG.
- Read his insurance policy before taking the trip to see how “emergency” is defined.
- If medical care is needed during the trip, get copies of all bills to support claims for reimbursement.
- Check into reciprocal agreements between the person’s health plan and a provider in the area you will visit.
- If you anticipate the need for medical care, call ahead or ask your HMO to help you make doctor’s appointments in the new location.
- Consider buying traveler’s insurance. Study the policy terms regarding pre-existing conditions. READ THE FINE PRINT.
- Check that medical equipment is insured for loss or theft.. Consider taking a portable grab bar on the trip.
- Communicate with airline in advance and get any necessary paperwork for doctor to fill out.
- Have extra oxygen prescriptions.
- If there will be a layover arrange for oxygen to be available.
- If traveling to a foreign country, see if the policy allows for medical evacuation.
- Take the person’s health insurance card and the HMO’s toll free number for travelers.
- Take copies of the pages in the insurance benefits booklet dealing with emergency access.
- Carry a card listing phone numbers of next-of-kin in case of illness during the trip.
- Carry a copy of the Consular Information Sheet of the country you are visiting.
- Write the primary care doctor’s number and beeper number on the health insurance card, along with the date of the last tetanus injection.
- If taking a cruise, ask if a doctor with experience in emergency medicine or family practice will be on board.
- If the person in your care has a heart condition, check to make sure your airline carries a defibrillator in the event of cardiac arrest. Most major airlines carry them now.
- Tell the travel agent or airline that you will require a wheelchair and ask to have your request noted on the ticket.
- Call ahead to the airport, bus station or train station to request assistance.
- If a flight is delayed for more than four hours, an airline has a duty to provide a meal that is comparable to the meal offered on the flight — if asked for by the passenger.
Caring.com was created to help you care for your aging parents, grandparents, and other loved ones. As the leading destination for eldercare resources on the Internet, our mission is to give you the information and services you need to make better decisions, save time, and feel more supported. Caring.com provides the practical information, personal support, expert advice, and easy-to-use tools you need during this challenging time.
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8 comments
add your comment »I dont know if i should post this here but I have been looking all over the net for info on how to move my grandfather from Florida to North Carolina. He is a stroke victim. It has been about a year since it happened and he is stable but he is child like and very disabled. My grandma is fine but is freaked out about the prospect of moving him but wants to be at home in NC. How do I prepare them both. Should he be moved at all what does it involve? If any one could help I would really appreciate it.
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Thank you for this. Can one of your experts please tell me about traveling with my two year old son who is a sickle cell patient. I hear he can't fly at certain altitudes? What precautions should we take/
Doris
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this is a great list. Even going on an overnight trip with a chronic illness means extra planning and extra things to take and consider. Thanks for this list... it is really helpful
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Just a thought. Chronic illness is not alway's about AD or dementia. (i.e. confusion). It can be a large range of illnesses--including cancer, kidney, diabetes & cardiac conditions. A great many people often travel successfully with "chronic medical" problems. Travel is a "challenge" for the able bodied & good tempered, even when not confused. However, good reference material herein.
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This is a wonderful Check List I would say to everyone that does oversees travel to print it out and put it inside Ur Passport. I would certainly have problems if We were to go oversees as my Wife has Pulmonary Fibrosis and uses Oxygen 24/7, but I would put oversees travel out of my Mind. Even for traveling in Ur own country it is still handy to have this List. Thank You.
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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner
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Well that's an interesting post. I'd think long-distance travel would prove to be a challenge for someone that's generally confused, however.
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Thanks for the checklist. This is good timing, as I was just considering if and how I would get an 90 year old on an overseas trip... not sure I'm going to push for it now, but it's great to have this list to think through!
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