If you have any plans to fly...
My DH and I went on a long weekend away. It was a great time. We flew to FL, enjoyed a weekend of beautiful weather, and shared some much needed time with our daughter, SIL, and grandkids (who met us there).
I tell you this because I learned about a sanity saving option when booking our airline tickets. I was able to electronically identify my DH as having dementia, which provided options such as early boarding. My DH has always been a challenge to fly with. He is a "type A" person who always wanted to do everything quickly, early, and overly efficiently.
I, on the other hand, am much more laid back when it comes to planning (or I am a procrastinator… however you look at it 🙃). Anyway, this early boarding option was a blessing. I didn't have to say anything to anyone - we just went up when they called early boarding, and when I showed our tickets, his had a note about his needs.
You can do this for your loved ones w/dementia, or for children w/special needs (such as autism), or even if someone in your travel group has anxiety (etc). If I had known this, I would have been doing it a lot sooner than this, for my own anxiety when we traveled.
Comments
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This is excellent advice. I wish I had known about doing this electronically before the flight! I have done the same thing by talking with the gate agent before boarding and they always let us board early. It was SO MUCH better than trying to have DH wait when he was so impatient with waiting. Thanks for posting.
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I used the option for a wheelchair the last time DH and I flew as he walks w a cane due to weakness, dizziness and imbalance. It really was a wonderful benefit. We checked in outside and were able to have a wheelchair for him from there to our gate. We early boarded as well. Wheelchair was waiting on the other end and took us all the way to pick up our bags. We would have had to arrive 3 hrs early just for him to be able to walk the whole way without it! :)
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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