Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I get the impression that there's lots of experience out there. My dad has fairly severe dementia and he and my mum are soon moving to live near my sister. It's a 4 hour journey which my husband and I will be doing with them. My mum is 89 and fine. she's excited about the move. My question is about making the car journey as easy as possible for my dad. Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks
Long car journey
- Thread starter Niki B
- Start date
Make sure that there are drinks, snacks and his favourite cake/sweets easily at hand to distract him en route when you cant stop.
Have a bag easily accessible with a change of clothes and everything needed to clean him up in case of accidents. If he is actually incontinent (or, at least, having lots of accidents during the day) get a kylie sheet or other absorbent pad to put on the car seat
Also, put the child locks on so that he cant open the door.
Have a bag easily accessible with a change of clothes and everything needed to clean him up in case of accidents. If he is actually incontinent (or, at least, having lots of accidents during the day) get a kylie sheet or other absorbent pad to put on the car seat
Also, put the child locks on so that he cant open the door.
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Does your dad fiddle with things? My husband did and I needed to keep things in the car he could fiddle with - I always had a twiddle muff and magazines that he could look through -well tear to bits if I’m being honest. Just a thought.
He’d be best in the back seat so that he can’t reach for controls.
Does your dad fiddle with things? My husband did and I needed to keep things in the car he could fiddle with - I always had a twiddle muff and magazines that he could look through -well tear to bits if I’m being honest. Just a thought.
He’d be best in the back seat so that he can’t reach for controls.
Oh yes! If you haven’t already got a radar key, get one! The disabled loos in service stations are often locked and it’s much easier if you have your own key. You can get them on Amazon too.
www.disabilityrightsuk.org
The official and only genuine Radar Key
The official and only genuine Radar Key. Buy your disabled toilet key from Disability Rights UK. The National Key Scheme (NKS) offers disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country. Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme (NKS) locks can now be found in shopping...
www.disabilityrightsuk.org
In my mother's case I would have preferred straitjacket, handcuffs, a gag and probably shut in the boot on top of a pile of kylies.
When we took her out she'd be fine at first then suddenly turn wild, shouting, waving her arms about, opening the door (eek!), grabbing whoever was nearest, including by boyfriend's collar nearly choking him while he was driving. So as @canary says, don't let him near the driver.
She then angrily told my boyfriend that he'd made her sit on a wet seat.... hmmm. Wonder how that happened?
When we took her out she'd be fine at first then suddenly turn wild, shouting, waving her arms about, opening the door (eek!), grabbing whoever was nearest, including by boyfriend's collar nearly choking him while he was driving. So as @canary says, don't let him near the driver.
She then angrily told my boyfriend that he'd made her sit on a wet seat.... hmmm. Wonder how that happened?
