T:Traveling with Alzheimer’s Disease	
Q:My mom has AD - middle stage. 
 She has it combined with vascular dementia. 
 At times she is fine relatively speaking but at other times she is completely lost and confused. 
 One thing that she keeps on mentioning no matter what stage she is in is her desire to travel once more to see the Redwood trees in <location> . 
 We used to live in <location>  and visit <location>  every year during school vacation. 
 my mom is <age> years old and we now live a <distance>  flight away from <location>. 
 I'm afraid that if i don't grant my mom this wish of seeing the Redwood trees once more it will be on my conscience for the rest of my life - that i didn't do it or didn't do enough for her. 
 i realize that she will probably not remember being there a short time later but. 
 How dangerous is it to fly with her for <distance>? will this confuse her even more? should i just ignore this request and not feel guilty about it. 
 Apart from the AD she is in good physical health for her age. 
 i would appreciate hearing from someone that has experienced travelling with an AD patient. 
  	A:Tough call. 
 Does she get unruly or combative? Being stuck on a plane with no where to go could be painful for everyone. 
 Then there's the trip back. 
 Could maybe put together a slide show or power point of Sequoia. 
  


A:I agree with <name>. 
 I know my dad,  even when we'd take him to where he wanted to go,  would be ready to leave as soon as we got there. 
 Easy when it's <distance> away. 
  You might be able to find an HD video of the PBS type about the trees and parks that could be watched and enjoyed a little closer to home. 
 I can't travel due to my own medical reasons and I enjoy watching these types of shows,  especially the fly-over shots they take. 
  We probably all have regrets,  but keep in mind that she did get to enjoy these things at one point in her life. 
 Those memories,  though they may be fading for her now,  are good memories. 
 A trip that would be hard on a healthier person would probably not evoke the same feelings. 
  
