Assisted Holidays

chris6167

Registered User
Mar 18, 2008
2
0
London
Hi,

My grandmother has recently been diagnosed with alzheimers but she loves to travel. Physically she is still very capable, still drives and lives on her own. Trouble is, she is beginning to have memory problems which means that, for both practical and legal reasons, she cannot travel on her own or on a "normal" holiday.

I've heard that there are a few companies out there that offer "assisted holidays", where they take responsibility for the welfare of the passengers to ensure they don't get lost! I've found some companies that cater for disabled passengers but I'm worried that this will be severely restricting.

If anyone knows of a company/travel agent that might offer this kind of holiday that might be suitable and could let me know, that would be great.

Many thanks!

Chris
 

zoet

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
705
0
55
Macclesfield, Cheshire
SAGA Chris....and the only reason I know this is because I found a little brochure today amongst my dads bunf.
They looked expensive, and I dont know what theyre like, but SGA is a good name i reckon and dad has been on holiday unassisted with them and enjoyed himself. the new brochures just out so ring them and ask.:Dx
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,443
0
Kent
Sorry to disappoint but Saga won`t insure people with Alzheimers. They will allow them to go on their holidays, but they must have independent travel insurance.

This information was correct in April 2007. It could have been changed since.
 

zoet

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
705
0
55
Macclesfield, Cheshire
No...Im not talking about insurance grannie G; I found this little brochure (April 2008) from SAGA which has "assisted" holidays in it. I have no idea where you would get the insurance from, but if Im geting what Chris wants as right, these holidays are for people to go on holiday with assistance. Have I got it wrong?:( In fact I think I brought it home with me so if there is a place I could forward it to I would be glad to?:)
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
Zoe, I've never heard of Saga doing assisted holidays, and I can't find any reference to them on their website.

As far as I know, the only 'assistance' is that there is always a tour manager, who is supposed to sort out problems -- they vary from marvellous to chocolate teapot!

But I don't think the tour manager would take responsibility for someone with dementia.

If you have something better than this, I'd be interested to see it. Do you have a web link, or a postal address?

As Sylvia says, insurance is a huge problem, and some companies no longer insure people with dementia, or people over 75.
 

hendy

Registered User
Feb 20, 2008
506
0
West Yorkshire
Hi Chris

Its a great idea to think about grandmother going on holiday. I used to wonder about takng Dad on holiday before he became too poorly. However, the insurance is going to be the biggest sticking point. It can be horrendously expensive or impossible to get. The other considerations are, would it be a long distance trip? If so what health care would you gramdma be able to access if she had an emergency of some kind. As we all know on TP that these episodes do happen. Would you or someone else in the family be able to easily come to her assistance?
Perhaps the easiest solution is for you to take Grandmother on a short weekend break somewhere, that way it would be more maageable for every possible eventuality. Try reading through my thread (somebody else's glasses)as there was a rather distressing post from a lady in Australia who had a very difficult travel experience.
Your grandma definately deserves a holiday, and it is very caring and thoughtful of you to go to the troulbe of posting for advice on this site. Hope everything goes well for any future travel plans.
take care
hendy
ps trying to get link to thread for you - hope it works!
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/showthread.php?t=9973&page=3
 
Last edited:

chris6167

Registered User
Mar 18, 2008
2
0
London
Insurance

Thanks all for the advice - if anyone is interested I found this list of companies that are sympathetic to people with health problems. This is for both travel and motor insurance. I can't make any recommendations as I've not used any of them and it's worth shopping around but if anyone is looking then this might give you some leads.

[Copy and paste the link into your web browser but be warned - this is a 4MB file, so if you're on a slow net connection it may take a while to download!]


http://www.chss.org.uk/pdf/publications/factsheets/F7_Sympathetic_insurance_companies.pdf


Chris
 

zoet

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
705
0
55
Macclesfield, Cheshire
Ive found it!

Ive been rooting through the piles of paper work spread around the front room and Ive found the little brochure I was talking about. Its NOT SAGA its in association with SAGA and its The National Trust!!! (Sorry....brain is constantly mashed with info these days). Its operated by SAGA and theres where my confusion lay.
Theres a telephone number but i cant find a web address. The number is 0800 092 1178. Thats the booking line but I bet the would be able to send you a brochure. Its full of escorted holidays and cruises all over Europe, and looks really good. Hope that helps Chris.:)
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
But surely - aren't they just escorted in the they have a tour guide sense rather than escorted as in someone to make sure someone doesn't wander off? I think the only way that could be done is if your purchased two tickets and employed someone to go on holiday with the person, and even then you'd probably need 2 people (one on duty and one off).
 

zoet

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
705
0
55
Macclesfield, Cheshire
Hmmmmm.well Ive just been trying to read a little more into this and I HAVE got it wrong I think. By the looks of it you are right about it being escorted only during the day as part of a group, not as a personal assistant. SORRY:confused:
I found this info though, maybe its useful?:

The organisations Tourism For All and Vitalise
(formerly the Winged Fellowship trust) will be able to
offer you further advice on this and will also be able to
advise you about travel insurance for people with
disabilities.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to help people
who are elderly or disabled to have a holiday if they
assess it as needed. Some councils give grants; others
organise holidays themselves. Please be aware that the
criteria for eligibility is usually quite strict.

Holiday Care
Holiday Care is a national charity providing information to disabled people, older people and their Carers which enables them to make independent holiday and travel arrangements, where possible in an integrated, mainstream environment. They also run a unique Reservations Service for accessible accommodation in the UK. For more information on their holiday service telephone 0845 124 9971 or visit their website at Holiday Care website