Outings: Tips to Avoid Disaster

Taking an aging parent or partner out can be a pleasant change for them... and for you. Here we provide some tips which might make it easier for you. Choose the ones that fit your situation and ignore the rest.

• Think carefully about where you are going - is it accessible? Is there parking if you drive? In many states, you can get a disabled parking permit for the person, not the car. Suitable venues include shopping centres (air-conditioned, flat ground, plenty of seats), a stroll along the promenade (fresh air), and special shows and events.
   
• Allow plenty of time. Running late only adds to anxiety.
   
• Toilets! Make sure there are some - the National Toilet Map makes planning trips much easier. When you use toilets, make sure that you don't lose each other. If they are prone to wander and you need to go yourself, forget your modesty and take them with you into the disabled toilets where there is plenty of room. It's far better than coming out to find that they've disappeared.
   
• Take a recent photo. If you do lose them, go straight to security personel or police. A recent photo and description of their clothing will make it much easier for them.
   
• Consider giving them a special "shopping jacket" or ribbon which makes them easy to describe and identify and saves you having to remember what they put on that morning.
   
• Carry a mobile phone - and give them one too. Mobile phones make it easier to call for help... or simply to find each other. If you lose sight of them in a shop, you can simply dial, and listen.