The most important way to help children or grandchildren cope with dementia is to talk openly and be willing to listen. They need the opportunity to ask questions and express their feelings without fear of a negative reaction.  Take a look at our resources below for more tips.   

Focus - Helping Children Understand Alzheimer Disease

Focus - Helping Teens Understand Alzheimer Disease

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.