We all enjoy a change of scenery and a break from routines. However, as Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias progress, changes in abilities can make it difficult to get away.

Careful planning will help you manage the changes in surroundings and routines. Here are some tips to make the trip easier:

Have a plan

• Include the person with dementia in your planning. Give them a copy of the trip itinerary for her reference.
• If you are planning to visit friends and family, tell them about the changes since your last visit.
• Learn as much as you can about the place you’ll be visiting, so you can anticipate what you’ll need.
• Think ahead about activities that may need to be adjusted.
• Consider a holiday package, where everything is organized for you.
• Enroll the person living with dementia in MedicAlert’s Safe & Found Program. Members receive an engraved identification bracelet, which allows police and emergency responders to quickly identify a person who gets separated.
• Carry recent photographs, details of what the person is wearing, and preferred places of interest. This will help during a search if one is necessary.
• Keep a copy of the name and number of your hotel in a familiar spot in the person’s purse or pocket, so they can ask for help if needed.

Simplify

Aim for as few changes in their routine as you reasonably can.

• Try to get a direct flight.
• If you’re traveling by car for a long distance, consider extending the time to get there and driving shorter distances each day.
• Ask for help

• If possible, have an additional person travel with you to help.
• Make sure that your travel agent is aware of any special needs.
• Inform the airline that you are traveling with a person with dementia. You may want to request early boarding, a wheelchair, transportation upon arrival, help getting on and off the plane or with stowing carry-on baggage.
• Request seating near washrooms.
• If you are staying at a hotel, let the staff know about your needs and explain some of the possible difficulties you think you might encounter.

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias cause changes that affect a person's ability to drive a motor vehicle safely. A diagnosis of dementia, however, does not automatically mean that a person is incapable of driving. Some people may be capable of driving safely for some time after the diagnosis, depending on when in the disease progression the person has been diagnosed and the rate the disease progresses. Eventually, however, people with Alzheimer's disease must stop driving, as it will no longer be safe.

Look into special testing to assess the driving abilities of a person with dementia. This could be a driving simulation test and/or a road test, carried out by someone with experience in testing drivers with cognitive problems.

Use the search bar above to find a driving assessment service (such as DriveAble or MARD) in your area. If it is not available, ask a doctor to determine if and when the person is no longer able to drive.

The claim

The claim has to do with ketones. Ketones are what our bodies produce when they convert fat into energy. The primary source of energy for the brain is glucose. In Alzheimer’s disease, it’s believed that brain cells have difficulty metabolizing glucose. But the theory is that ketones that are produced in our bodies when digesting coconut oil may provide an alternative fuel source to keep the brain nourished.

The evidence

Currently, there is no research to support or refute the theory that coconut oil can prevent or treat dementia. However, the interest in coconut oil highlights some important questions to consider when evaluating research evidence:

Where was the study published?

Research results are reported in many places, including the media. But for health-care providers, researchers, policymakers and others who rely on research findings, they will typically consult peer-reviewed journals. Peer review is a system whereby an article is evaluated by experts, providing credibility to the research, including assurance that the study’s methods and conclusions are appropriate.

How was the study carried out?

There are many ways researchers could study the effects of something like coconut oil. For example, they could identify a group of people and measure how much coconut oil each one consumes, then follow them over time and compare the risk of developing dementia. This type of study is called “observational.” Researchers study peoples’ behaviours and link these behaviours to health outcomes. Observational studies can be very powerful. However, observational studies must also be interpreted in context with their susceptibility to bias. In this example, people who consume coconut oil may differ from those who do not in various ways. These differences could explain why dementia is (or is not) more common in one group. For this reason, to obtain stronger evidence of “cause and effect” researchers conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs). With RCTs, study participants are randomly assigned to receive an intervention such as a drug, diet or lifestyle program, or not. This random assignment is meant to make the groups as similar as possible, except for having received the intervention being studied. The study participants are followed over time and their health outcomes are compared.

The bottom line

The effect of coconut oil on Alzheimer’s disease is unclear and more research is required before drawing any firm conclusions. But the interest in coconut oil reinforces the value we place on research. It’s our best hope of finding effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and improving the quality of life and care for those affected.