Elder care for parents flying across the country

[Anonymous]

OP - Yes- I would question why you would think a high school graduation ir even college is a good setting for an elderly couple. I would change the idea up to saying that you and your daughter would make a special visit out to see them. Given all the unknowns, even if they arrive, your attention or someone would be focused on your parents and not your daughter’s milestone day. It really is time to
reconsider how to make this focused on your
daughter.

[Anonymous]

This is asking for a UTI and hospital stay. Do not do it!

[Anonymous]

My perspective is probably different because my grandmother was flying well past 100 for big family events and my parents through 90. Can you go out and fly back with her? That’s what I would do, although I probably wouldn’t do it for a graduation. A wedding, baptism, first communion, etc., I would do, but graduations are insanely painful unless you kids is giving a commencement speech.

[Anonymous]

lots of places will do this.
transport4elders.com [phone]
I see like 5-10 companies I see who do this driving around NOVA all day but that's the only one I can remember the name on the vans. Tons in annandale va. I'll post back if I see/remember more company names.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I wouldn't encourage them to travel at all unless I can travel with them, or another trusted relative can do it.

No graduation is worth that hassle.

[Anonymous]

This is where a little white lie would come in handy- tell them the school is limiting the number of tickets it’s giving each graduate to parents only and that you’ll bring your graduate out to visit them at a later time. Don’t have them make the trip.

[Anonymous]

I say this as someone whose parents are in the same situation. This is not the trip for them. Assuming they do make the trip having them there will take a lot away from the graduate. My parents will not be coming to my child's college graduation in May. To be brutally honest, I don't want to have to deal with logistics of managing them when I should be celebrating my kid.

Logistically it's not really possible to have someone with them the entirety of the flight unless a family member flies out and back with them. Even if you could find someone it's going to be insanely expensive. My parents have a helper that we pay $60/hr. For what you'd need you will be paying a lot more. For a cross country flight you'd be looking at 8ish hours one way. What happens when they get there? Does the person turn around and fly back? Stay in a hotel (all the while you're paying them)? All of the plus the price of the ticket.

My parents are perfectly fine mobility wise but are starting to have cognitive difficulties. When they have to fly, we someone who drives them to the airport and walks them to the check in desk. From there they take wheelchairs through security to the gate. They again get wheelchairs (when they remember) off the plane and to baggage claim. The wheelchair assistance will make sure they make it through security and onto the plane.

I honestly wouldn't do it for a graduation. Go out and see them after the kid graduates.

[Anonymous]

It really isn’t worth it but if you really want to do it this is what we did.

We asked everyone we knew who had college age kids or older if they wanted a free airline ticket back to the area for a few days. A co-workers daughter who was 25 wanted to come visit her parents and friends.

We gave the 25 year old a first class ticket. She parked her car at my mom’s house then we paid for a car service to pick them up to take them to the airport. They flew first class home. Then the 25 year old flew back with my mother 4 days later.

[Anonymous]

How much of a fall risk are they? How frail?

I have family members/elders in their 80s who I would not want to take out to a restaurant, and family members in their 80s still baling hay and birthing calves. It really depends.

[Anonymous]

If they lived someplace closer like Florida, I'd suggest splurging on a private jet which would bypass the whole airport ordeal. But private jet to/from California would be really, really expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My elderly parents are planning on traveling across the country in a couple of months for my daughter's graduation.
Because they are declining (both physically and mentally), I would like to hire someone to drive them to airport, help them check in their luggage, prevent them from losing their license, get them to the correct gate, and be nearby to prevent any falls. They do not have a walker or cane and have fallen several times.

Is there a service who I can hire to assist them? They are flying from Calif. to DC. I can pay for an airline ticket for an eldercare helper to ensure their safety.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

The best experience I had in an airport was when I was traveling with my MIL who used a walker. We were treated like royalty - moved to the front of every line and escorted through the airport using all the shortcuts. I was so nice that I've often thought of using a walker myself just to get treated well. (Haven't done it!)

[Anonymous]

Assuming you really want to go ahead with this, maybe the best option is to hire someone you know from here to fly out to California and get them and bring them back. It’s a round-trip ticket either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assuming you really want to go ahead with this, maybe the best option is to hire someone you know from here to fly out to California and get them and bring them back. It’s a round-trip ticket either way.

And then when they need to return home, OP would need another round trip ticket for a caregiver.

[Anonymous]

Could they use Sky Squad?

[Anonymous]

Please talk to their doctors in advance to be sure doctor will dissuade travel!

It also is OK to tell them DC has been given only three tickets, or whatever the number, so grands cannot attend.