I have been thinking about that to.

I just have to start somewhere.
She got the diagnos friday. So it is so new to have alzheimers as the name to her memory loss.

I am a planner and I will be 100 % as prepared as I can.

Also my airport is LAX.

Yes I would fly out to Sweden and pick her up. Since she will only be here for some months.Swedish citizent just need to fill out the E... ( cant remember the name) and they are allowed here up to 3 months.
I have 3 sibblings in Sweden.

My mom has always been very strong and tuff. She still is. If she doesnt want to do something she simply will not.

We have read/heard all the stories about TSA playing medical personal and experts.

So I think to that they should be able with class and understanding know what to do.

A loty of times they dont.

Now they can step up to the plate and be honest that they have no medicla training what so ever in the field of health.
Do I think they will. NO I dont.

Believe me, I can understand. I date a Swede. ;)

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of info on the Alzheimer's Association webpage, but they do offer some tips which I hope you will find useful.

I traveled across the US to pick my mother up and bring her back to live with us and later in a nursing home near us, so here is one person's experience with traveling with an Alzheimer's patient.

First off, when you you get to Sweden, have your mother set an appointment with her doctor or other medical social worker that you can accompany her on, so that you can get copies of all of her records and test results. This will be helpful if she needs medical care in the US. Second, discuss with them the upcoming plane trip and any advice they have. If medication is indicated, be sure she tries it in advance so you can see how she reacts to it. Everyone is different, and the medication that makes some people calm may make others more confused and belligerent.

Be sure that you dress your mom for the plane trip--no metal, even an underwire bra that could potentially trip a metal detector on the Swedish end, no jewelry, easy to remove jacket or sweater with loose sleeves, slip on shoes (for the US security end), and pants with an elastic waist for easy lowering in airplane restroom. Carry a blanket and small pillow for her comfort onboard. (My mother had a soft toy doggie called Sam that was also a familiar comfort to her.)

Carry as little carryon luggage as you can, and emphasize the things that you think you may need at the airport or in flight. It's so much easier if you don't have to wrangle a lot of 'stuff' as well as dealing with your mother.

If you have any problems at security, be firm and polite and insist on having a supervisor. "My mother has severe memory impairment and it will be better if a supervisor helps us to deal with her disability." We flew out of Boston before the current nonsense, but even so, she got confused and tried to go through the metal detector with me, got yelled at to go back, and we were at an impasse until I quietly but insistently asked for a supervisor to 'help us sort out how to deal with this medical disability situation.' That turned out to work well in our case. Hopefully, you will have even less trouble, but it is good to be prepared and know what you will do if things go wrong.

Actually, the flight itself was much more trouble than the security theatre part of the process. If at all possible, can you upgrade out of coach? I realize that this is a harder and more expensive option on a transatlantic flight than a trans-US one, but it made a huge difference for us. I spoke with the flight attendant in first class and explained the situation and she was extra-solicitous of my mother, spoke to her more simply, asked her yes-no questions instead of offering choices, etc. (For my mother "would you like some orange juice?" was easier to deal with than "what do you want to drink?")

Bathroom use was the biggest problem--she was both confused by the unfamiliar airplane toilet set up and claustrophobic about the tininess of the room. If this is a problem, stand just outside the door, leaving it ajar, and talk her through the process. Make sure you have an extra set of undies and pants accessible in carry-on in case of accidents and consider having her wear disposable sanitary garments in case she refuses to go in the airplane bathroom. (My plan in case of having to change her clothes was to go back to the galley area, have a flight attendant hold up our blanket to give us some privacy, and then for me to help her change. Luckily we didn't need to do it, but it was a relief to me to have a plan just in case.)

Whether you are in coach or upgrade, be sure to speak with the lead flight attendant and let them know about your special needs. Board the plane first when they call for 'people who need extra time' and speak with the lead flight attendant then. Don't be shy about hitting your call button if need be during the flight if you need assitance, either.

Good luck tanja. Flying with an Alzheimer's patient is a challenge, but it can be done. Preparation and flexibility is the key.

Even under ESTA she'll have to go through Immigration & Customs and they could choose her for a secondary (just like they can do for US citizens). At the minimum she'll have to be photographed and fingerprinted.

While I find most (as in "nearly all") CBP personnel to be professional, I mention this only because I witnessed a Customs officer at IAD loudly berating an older oriental one day for not speaking English. It should not be a problem as long as you're along, but there is still a slight risk.

I have also been finger printed and photograhed. And I do live here legally.
Thank you for your opinion.

My experience traveling with my father
 

I'd say as long as your mother still knows who you are, you'll be in good shape.

My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2005. He had never been to Washington DC, so in 2009 I decided to take him. We flew WN SAN-BWI with a no plane change stop in SAT. We each had a rollaboard with our liquids in 1 quart ziplocs. I wanted to be repsonsible for putting the ziplocs in a bin. This was pre NoS at SAN and they just had the WTMD. As I was taking off my shoes and putting the ziplocs in the bin, Dad starts to walk through the WTMD complete with shoes and his rollaboard. The clerks started screaming and attempted to block him by standing in front of him. He was confused by the fuss and I brought him back over to the belt and helped him with his shoes and put his rollaboard on the belt.

I'm not sure if my father's stints or something else set off the WTMD and he was put in the corral and the clerk called for the male assist. When another clerk came over they told me to stay clear. I explained that my father was disabled and needed me to explain what was happening or he might freak out. Wrong thing to say. He called for "back-up" and four more clerks, plus a 3-striper showed up. Three of them stood in front of me and they started wanding my dad. I had to repeat each command to Dad as the clerk asked him to lift his arms, turn around etc.

After that debacle it was pretty easy traveling with him. I'm A List and had a low number and Dad had something like A40 so I boarded in that group. On return at BWI I went ahead and got a blue preboard sleeve as he had B35 and I wanted to ensure we could sit together.

Going through security at most of the places we visited in DC was pretty easy. He set off the WTMD at the Capitol and the security guard was very easy to deal with as he used his wand. Well the Secret Service wasn't happy with him for touching the wall covering in the Red Room during the White House tour.

Thank you so much for sharing.

Even if I know a lot about alzheimers through work. I still is different when it comes to your close family.

I can stand up for myself. Plus I am never rude doing it.

I do stand my grounds.

She does wear jeans still. She is 82. No diapers yet.
The bra . Yes she wears underwire and I dont think is anywere she would not wear one.

For me is not the trip itself and/or alzheimers but TSA going back to Sweden.
The rest I can handle.

Thank you for sharing.

The best about this is to know what other did while flying with an alzheimers patient.

I do think this is very helpful.

I am proud to say that I am still the tuff, independant swedish girl my mom raised.:D

Sure, but how they screen the individual indeed isn't his problem. He's not saying "don't screen her", but "I have no idea what your procedure are for screening her: why are you asking me"? A disabled person has a right to fly and TSA has to figure out how to screen them.

flying with Alzheimer's mother-in-law
 

Several years ago, before NoS, I flew with my early stage Alzheimer's mother in law. She was an intelligent, feisty, independent woman who had not yet accepted (or remembered) her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

We flew Southwest, did early boarding, and I advised gate attendant of early Alzheimer's.

We chose to use wheelchair assistance although she was mostly mobile because I believed it would make the trip easier for her. Wheelchair access often has quicker access to disability screening and TSA is alerted by the wheelchair use that probably some special screening will be needed. Wheelchair was a godsend later when we changed planes because the second gate was distant and my MIL had stiffened up from sitting. We would not have made our connecting plane without the wheelchair sprint across the airport.

I brought snacks, she wore adult diapers, and we carried as little as possible. I'd been a TSA passenger screener for several years so was familiar with what to expect. Everybody we met was professional and helpful and kind. It still was not easy.

Good luck.