A Great Travel Idea for Caregivers

By Mary Ellen Bianco


Planning a vacation for someone with special needs can seem daunting, but it is possible to take a trip to refresh and relax with your loved one.

Vicky Spencer-Rouse, specializes in organizing travel details for those with accessibility challenges. Eight years ago she started Special Needs Vacation by V, drawing from her experience of traveling with her mother, who had Parkinson’s disease, and with her children with special needs. “I’m passionate about planning vacations for others — even multi-generational trips,” Vicky says. “Doctors can’t predict the human potential. With a little bit of help and support, it's possible.”

Here are a few tips to help organize and prepare before the trip:

• Discuss the trip with your doctors, including the vaccinations needed for the areas of travel.

• Set emergency plans in place, check for locations of U.S. embassies to use in case of the need for appropriate doctors or hospitals in the travel locations.

• Make copies of prescriptions, legal documents, computer codes, and passwords to leave in a secure location at home in case of emergency situations. 

• Check with hotel/accommodation before hand to make sure there is easy accessibility, even ask the hotel for a picture if one is not provided to see the first floor accommodations or elevator accessibility for those who require a wheelchair.

Have you and your loved taken a vacation recently? Where did you go and what do you do to prepare for it?