travellight

The elderly lady is potentially combative and has no memory. We are considering having her take a non-stop flights then permanently stay with us.

Travel like an unaccompanied minor?

Have someone get her?

Put her on a plane and hope she doesn't start yelling over Chicago, causing a diversion and arrest?

ajGoes

Do not under any circumstances put her on a plane unaccompanied. I had the misfortune to be on an LAX-CLE flight with an elderly woman with dementia whose family had dumped her at the airport and skedaddled. One FA had to sit with her for most of the flight, though a heroic passenger took over for an hour or two, talking her down from psychotic and sometimes violent fantasies. You cannot impose this kind of situation on a planeful of strangers.

Perhaps her doctor will prescribe a tranquilizer that will prevent combative behavior. Test it first though and make sure it has the desired effect. If you're confident she can make the flight, have a trusted family member accompany her.

You have my sympathy. I've been through the pain of dealing with aging, cognitively declining relatives and it's a painful challenge.

jrl767

with all due respect, this is not -- and should not be -- about cost or inconvenience

the family and/or friends who are making her travel arrangements have the obligation to ensure her safety during the trip

my sister and I recently relocated our mother (age 87, in the early stages of dementia) from her home of 49 years in the DC area to a senior residential community in OR, about 15 min from my sister's house ... the two of them flew in F to PHX, spent a couple days at a friend's home, and then continued in F to PDX ... time and money well spent (in truth, invested)

will2288

There are services that can provide a traveling aid or nurse, but that could probably be quite expensive. I would highly recommend her not traveling alone, it is just not fair for her or for fellow passengers and staff. Especially given that she is elderly and has severe symptoms.

I think the best option is probably to have a friend or family member travel with them. Given the one time nature, and severity of her needs, it would be money well spent.

GalleyWench

She won't be allowed to travel alone. As everyone else has suggested have a family member travel with her.

ajGoes

I would not count on that. I suffered through a flight with a woman who was, to me, clearly suffering psychosis before takeoff. Other passengers said she was incoherent when her family members left her at the gate. The captain sat and talked with her for at least five minutes before making the very bad decision to proceed.

dc2005b

As others have noted, sending a mentally diminished person to travel on their own is an awful idea (for all involved). Earlier this year in DC a family was waiting for their mother at the baggage claim as she wandered out of the airport only to be found dead a few days later at Gravelly Point. Just spend the money and accompany your loved one!

tatterdema

Sticking someone like this, alone, on an airplane, should be considered elder abuse, and prosecuted as such.

contecsa

Travel to pax's point of departure, return together.

Ocn Vw 1K

Let's reach out here to the readers of the Disability Travel forum. I'll move this there. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

bluemarble

Don't know your route, but consider a private compartment on Amtrak, and a family member to accompany (the extra cost of the second person in the compartment is minimal).

Meals can be supplied in the cabin (there is no extra cost for room service, and the meals are included in the price of the cabin). The disturbance to other passengers is as minor as it can be on any public vehicle. If you are on a train west of Chicago, or on the train from DC to Chicago, book a lower-level room (if you book room H, you are alone at one end of the car, distant from any other cabins by 30 or 40 feet).

I don't know if Amtrak still offers this, but time was you could get an air-rail ticket, one way on United, the other on the train. Then, for her, a one-way ticket on the same train, and the shared cabin.

lalismom

Life is stressful enough for family members dealing with a loved one's cognitive issues or Alzheimer's. Don't create more for yourself by attempting to send someone whose behavior is unpredictable on a plane alone.
I don't know how far out you can plan this journey, but it seems likely another ticket is going to be involved. Far less expensive than legal costs if there should be repercussions for a flight diversion...
Most cities have an Alzheimer's Association...perhaps they can share a resource for this special assignment of escorting your loved one...it certainly isn't a flight crews responsibility. They have an obligation to keep the pax safe...so sedating someone who would be unresponsive in an emergency isn't going to be the best answer either.
Clearly the best answer is plan on accompanying the person, yourself, or with another trusted family member or friend...Maybe some advice from the person's MD?? I wonder if the airline would show some compassion...giving a reduced fair with documentation...advising as to the least filled flight...
Wishing you all the best.

Karen2

I used the airline service for an elderly pair (cost is the same as for an unaccompanied minor and, in the case of United, no transfers are allowed anymore) back in the day but one was pretty well off and TWA did a great job. But if the person is a wanderer or combative, there is no way she should be a ward of the airline. Just not fair. Things could get so bad that the plane would have to land to remove her. All passengers delayed and what will they do with her at some strange airport.

I truly do not think that Amtrak is the answer either, just prolongs the agony.

Someone strong enough to curtail her outbursts should accompany her even if you have to pay. Frankly, the unaccompanied minor bill is so high that you may as well pay for someone else's ticket. It is $150 each way these days. Both persons should sit in the back where she would disturb the least number of people. The airline might be willing to hold a middle seat open for that reason also.

gnetwerker

Some years ago, my wife invited her sister and mother to visit, involving a long, TATL flight both ways. My mother-in-law was at the time suffering from minor to moderate senile dementia (which has somewhat, but not entirely, different symptoms from Alzheimers).

While the outbound flight was uneventful, on the return flight my mother-in-law became agitated, loudly insisting on "getting off the plane" over the Atlantic. Fortunately, she was a frail woman and she was able to be restrained and ultimately (somewhat) calmed. It remains a very bad memory for my sister-in-law.

In discussing this both before and afterward with medical professionals, there is a substantial difference of opinion on the use of sedatives in a case like this. The only quick-acting ones require administration by a medical professional, which puts them out of reach for flights. An oral sedative (as others have mentioned) runs the risk of an unresponsive passenger in the event of an emergency, or at the destination. On the other hand, a mild sedative or anti-anxiety drug can potentially be used safely. Only the patient's physician can advise properly on this.

I strongly urge that you consult a medical professional before planning your trip, and that you "dry-run" any possible medication before its use in travel. As others have said, it is important that the passenger be accompanied by an adult known to her and capable (as much as possible) of managing her. Of course the companion should carry medical documentation, and should brief the flight staff on boarding.

In the end, this will be cheaper than medical transportation, but if it cannot be accomplished, that is the only other option.

JDiver

Depending on the individual, one should (after consulting with the person's healthcare professional) have the person accompanied by an appropriate companion. This could range from a trusted family member through a nurse to psychiatric escort. (I've several people I'm close to with dementia.)

Yes, the latter is costly. I had a good friend who decompensated and was institutionalised in Italy; the only way to get him back to the USA and the treatment he needed was full psychiatric escort (of course, that meant a one way ticket for my friend and a round trip plus stipend and expenses for the psychiatrist - in the USA there are other professionals who'd be capable of doing this).

(My friend recovered well, but at some point stopped taking his medication and used it to desensitize his partner to what was going on and committed suicide. His partner was initially suspected of homicide, expanding the nature of the tragedy.)