People with dementia and holidays

Over the years I have always enjoyed my holidays, although over the last few years, holidays have been stressful, due I suppose to the fact that I am out of my comfort zone, in an area which is perhaps fast or unknown.



I do struggle with aircraft these days, I suppose again because it's a territory which is not normal to me these days.



Recently we had a holiday in Turkey, and although I was looking forward to seeing the historical sights, I guess underneath I was very nervous of the unknown.



The flight out was awful and I needed my inhalers to get me through the journey and I had problems breathing at first, then after a while it all settled down. I have never had to use Ventolin on a flight before so that frightened me a little, but luckily for me my wife had the inhalers in her handbag.



When we arrived at the hotel, it was a little strange at first, but after a meal we went out for a walk around the town centre and the markets in OluDeniz, and I started to feel at home which was odd, but I guessed that was due to everyone speaking English.



The next morning after breakfast, I decided to go for a walk round, with my camera, and never thought about any problems.



I was away for around an hour, then realised that even though the town was small, I had no contact in any way with my wife. The odd thing was, that I was so realixed it did not bother me at all.

This shook my wife as she expected all sorts of problems, but in many ways I was more at home than she was.



Apart from one of the couriers, no one knew about my problems, and to be honest I was happier that way. I suppose the one thing which helped was the fact that everyone out there was so happy and helpful, and that makes a vast difference to me when I am away, so I guess it has the same effect on others with this illness.



The only thing that spooked me was the fact that Para gliders landed on the footpaths and sometimes across them, which was a fright when I first noticed them, but after a while I realised that if I stayed close to lamp posts, trees and shops I was safe



On another day walking along a beach bear footed near to the sea, I got a terrific pain shooting through my foot and into my ankle, and my wife said I shouted.



I could hardly walk, so she took me to the Red Creasant hut “First Aid" on the beach, where I was treated, the spike was taken out, and told that it had been a fish buried in the sand something like a weaver fish which is poisonous, if not treated straight away.



I was a bit sore for a few days, but never took my trainers off on the sand again, and chuckled later, thinking it was good that I had not sat down on the sand. I don't think my wife was amused at me saying that as it gave her quite a shock. I confess that I have never felt a pain like that before, and it was like a bayonette going through my foot and into my leg, and found it hard to believe that a fish could do that,



However apart from that I enjoyed this holiday, so much so that we may well go back again , unless we find somewhere else to go, and somewhere the insurance company will allow us to go without charging more for the insurance that we paid for the holiday



If only all holidays were as stress free as that one, but I know that in all honesty, that the next holiday could be vastly different, because the only time my memory gave up was doing my photography.

I did find this very hit and miss, as I could not always remember the settings.



I do my best to be independant while we are away, but when needed I still stay within reach of my wife, and always carry an address book and a marked map in my pocket, so that when things get rough I can get back to the hotel.



I also had my mobile phone with the hotel fixed firmly on the mapping system, so I do try to protect myself.



However this was a very small town in Turkey, had it have been a large town or city I would never have gone anywhere with out my wife.



I would point out that the hotel room was easy to get around and there were no nasty or upsetting, points, it was very dementia friendly.

I confess that I could not take onboard what the guides were saying around the historical sights, but I just walked around taking in the wonders and taking photographs

Ephisis

 

 

                                                                 I am coming in look out