Before heading out, you must pack the essential items for an enjoyable trip. The packing list doubles up if you’re traveling to places with your elderly parents. You need to keep their needs before your own.
Keep reading to know the packing essentials that you must cover up before heading out with your old parents.
1. Get Hold Of The Right Luggage
While packing, the first thing to consider is the type of luggage. Various kinds of bags are available for different purposes. Hiking tips call for a travel backpack, which can be easily carried as well as comfortable for the person. When traveling with your parents, you must select the most suitable luggage available.
With the introduction of wheeled luggage, portability is quite facile. Remember to carry the bags that you can carry on your own. On the journey, the last thing you would want is for your parents to get strains in the muscles due to heavy baggage. Always carry the wheeled duffel bags, suitcases, and backpacks.
The kind of bag you carry for the trip depends upon the type, length, and season of exploration. Based on that, you can easily filter out suitable types. Further selection relies upon the weight, type of shell number of wheels, and budget for the same. Don’t forget to carry a handy bag along and keep all the useful items in it.
You must take the right luggage depending on the type of trip or vacation you are going on. There are suitcases, backpacks, and duffel bags to choose from. For instance, if you are going for a trip that requires you to stay at a place for a longer time, a suitcase is better. But if you plan to roam around the city with your luggage, a backpack is better.
Another tip regarding your luggage is to roll your clothes and keep them instead of folding them. It not only saves space but also keeps clothes wrinkle-free.
2. Better Mobility For The Disabled
Aging causes locomotor disabilities in people due to weaker muscles as well as joints. If your parents experience difficulty in walking, then you must find out another way. One of the most sought after techniques is a portable electric wheelchair. With this, your parents can easily explore nature’s beauty and make the most out of the trip.
What’s even better is that the wheelchair moves on its own. That way, the person doesn’t have to exert any pressure. Along with providing easy mobility, it’s incredibly comfortable for older adults. Take the wheelchair along in the luggage to facilitate efficient movement.
3. Essential Medicines & First Aid Kits
With aging comes the never-ending ailments and declining immune power. Almost every older adult suffers from one disease or the other. While diabetes and hypertension are quite common, you might also find some other illness. You need to be prepared to provide the first-aid. Also, if you’re planning to go on a hiking expedition, you must carry the anti-emetics and medicines to control mountain sickness.
Prepare a medical kit and stuff the appropriate medications in it. Don’t forget to put the gauze pieces, bandages, and cotton as well. Senior citizens experience healing at a slower pace. Hence, make sure to carry the following medications to take care of the same. It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling alone or with family, having a first-aid kit is crucial. Pack the basic medicines for fever, cold, cough drops, and Band-Aids.
Also, pack any medicine or pain-relieving tools that you use or will require.
• Make sure to practice injury control therapy with antiseptics, antispasmodic, and coverage items. Put some cotton pieces, gauze, disinfectant, and bandages as well.
• Take morning sickness treatment with anti-emetics, antacids, acid blockers, and pain killers.
• Carry allergy prevention with antihistamine food items to relax the throat. Make sure to carry these medications if the seasonal allergies are prevalent.
• Keep vitamin supplements for adequate nutrition like vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A or retinol.
• Hearing and visual aids, if the seniors have trouble listening or seeing things.
4. Tissues and hand sanitizer
Make sure to keep the sanitizers, wet wipes, and napkins along with the medical kit. This may seem like the weirdest thing on the list but it is arguably one of the most essential. Not all bathrooms are created equal and have toilet paper in them. Tissue packets are vital in this instance as you never know when you'll need them (also don't flush toilet paper as it clogs the drain).
You can purchase tissues at any convenience store. The hand sanitizer thing is for all of those moments when you get out of the bathroom and there is no soap or the soap is bar soap, it's mostly peace of mind more than anything else.
5. Take Separate Bags For Documents
One thing that you must never take for granted is the documents. When traveling with your parents, make sure to carry a set of documents. Try to create a document folder and keep everything in one place. The first thing that you must keep inside the bag is a photocopy of your passport and tickets. In case your passport gets stolen, you can always show the xerox and get a replacement processed quickly.
Along with the essentials, there are also some other documents that you might need. Make sure to carry your car insurance and essential numbers handy.
The Paperwork is crucial when you’re heading out with your close ones. Keep all the reservations and travel confirmation intact in one place. Moreover, put a copy of your driver’s license, prescriptions, and credit card details. Insurance details, especially of the car and health, are highly essential.
Not only do they take care of the finances, but they also prove your identity whenever required. It’s a good practice to keep the information about the local hospitals in your travel destinations. That way, you can rush for medical aid if the need persists. Lastly, keep a list of all the emergency contacts on a paper and put it in your document folder.
6. Toiletry That’s Crucial For Seniors
Along with the regular toilet items like shampoo, soap, conditioners, disinfectants, and brushing aids, the elderly also require special ones. After a certain age, joint problems prevail among the old. This results in their inability to squat in the restroom. These ailments create trouble for them when they’re out of their house.
Fetch the commode chair to facilitate easy micturition as well as passing stools. Other toilet items like dental aids, brush, and floss are also necessary to maintain dental hygiene.
7. Pack Smartly
Yes, you might have read a lot about packing light and avoid packing too much but no one might have told you how to pack smartly. Start off by accessing your needs. Visualize what activities you will perform when you reach your travel destination.
Once you are clear about what you should take with you and what you should not, it is easier to pack only the essential items and leave out the unnecessary ones. Invest in the right luggage carriers and stay inside the limits of allowed luggage so you don’t have to pay more for additional luggage.
Bottom Line
Before planning a trip with your elderly parents, make a list of the essential items you all would need. Your packing list dramatically differs from that of your parents’. Hence, you need to be more inclined towards their needs rather than yours. Start with fetching the most suitable luggage. You can’t let your parents carry the bags. So, find the luggage which is lightweight and easy to carry.
Further, focus on easing out the entire exploration for the old. Buy a wheelchair if your parents face trouble in walking long distances. Also, a commode chair is a great idea to reduce knee joint sprains and pains.