Tips to Help Seniors Travel to Family Events

LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2013, LivHOME 

For seniors, the ability to attend important family events like weddings, graduations and religious milestones can be emotionally powerful and, indeed, have a big impact on their quality of life, says Bunni Dybnis, Director of Professional Services at LivHOME, one of the nation's largest providers of professionally led in-home care for seniors.

Attending important family events helps improve a senior's quality of life

Attending these events can bring significant challenges.  There are numerous ways, however, that family members and caregivers can help.



“Transportation can be a major issue. That is only one aspect of planning for these special events. There are several questions that need to be asked and responded to that can make all the difference between a successful or a disastrous outcome,” Dybnis explains.

• Is the senior able to get to the event independently?


• Does the senior have attire that is appropriate for the occasion, or the ability to purchase it?


• Is the senior well enough to travel and is assistance available?


• If the senior wants to purchase a gift for the occasion, can he or she access the appropriate shopping venues?


• Does the senior desire – or is he or she expected – to participate in the festivities with a speech or acknowledgement?


• Will someone be available if the senior needs assistance at the affair or needs to leave early?


• Is the senior realistically well enough to benefit from participating?

Need help with transportation or other support for a senior in your life? Consider contacting the Ontario Community Support Association, or another community agency in your area to see if they can help.

Dybnis notes there are factors that add even more difficulty to the situation. For example, it is important to make sure the senior really does want to attend and does not feel the event will be overwhelming. Long-distance travel adds a number of complications and may require a skilled professional to accompany the senior.

In some cases, it simply might not make sense for a senior to attend fully and accommodations should be made.

“Rather than a frail or impaired senior walking down the aisle at a granddaughter’s wedding, have them accompanied by an assistant and seated in the front row before the ceremony. They can rise and be acknowledged from their seat. Another way of accommodating is have a second party or reception in the location where the senior resides. Who doesn’t like an additional excuse for a celebration?” Dybnis suggests.

Finally, technology-based solutions such as LivHOME Care Monitor™ can be used to allow the senior to attend the event remotely via video conferencing. “Our experience has shown us that technology has really made a positive impact on the ability for seniors to stay engaged,” she adds.

For more information check out the podcast  “Sharing Important Family Events”. Listeners can subscribe via RSS feed, email or through the iTunes store. The episode has a run time of 12 minutes, 48 seconds.

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Have you made special accommodations to help your parents or grandparents attend an important wedding or graduation  Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.