Gonna Travel with my Papa...

[RFrank9504]

HI all! Big Time DISer, many many trips under my belt, but this is an all new game. My grandparents have made the trek from the north and moved here closer to us in South FL! They have NEVER been to WDW!
I am excited to be going with them next November. I wanted to go just before the holiday, just when the weather is right here. So we decided let them settle in and besides this is a tall order and its gonna be tough to plot out. Ok:
My gandfather has diabetis very very bad. He is in a wheelchair and is very overweight. He had his right leg amputated in 2004. He only has about 25% sight in his left eye and his right eye nothing. My gandmother is fine-although exhausted from being his constant caregiver. I am trying to find the perfect resort for him. Something small. One withough too much that will be in his way, easy to manuever a wheelchair through, something close to fireworks so if he choses not to go to a park at night he can still enjoy and something that has a roll in shower. Its defintely not gonna be a value vacation so anything moderate or deluxe.
Am I asking too much? Is this gonna be a mess? Is there a handicapped coordinator of some kind that can help us and assisst us in the parks? DO we just go ride to ride and get assistance at the turnstyle? I really never pay attention to any of the handicappers in the parks-and I'm sure that is exactly what they want-I know my grandfather HATES being stared at or made a big deal of.
So 1. what is the perfect resort or resort room request?
2. Is there some kind of personnal helper?
3. IS there a handicapped brochure or DVD they can send us to help us plan?
Thanks!

 

[peemagg]

First off to help you with a lot of your questions, there is a sticky at the beginning of this forum that answers many questions people have about Disney and visiting handicapped.

There is also a very good book out there called "Passporter's Open Mouse". It talks about everything from rooms to touring the parks in it. It will help you a great deal I am sure. I know it has helped me.

 

[Piper]

First POFQ is a small resort that is easy to traverse. Or you might consider one on the monorail.

There is a lot of information in the FAQs at the top of this board. You can find almost all the answers to your questions there.

Disney doesn't provide a personal helper. If you want to bring someone from home, you need to be willing to pay full price for their admission, room, food, etc.

Wheelchairs go in the same line as everyone else. There is no front of the line access or (in most cases) a separate line. The wheelchair will be taken right up to the ride and in some cases can go on the vehicle. The CMs are not allowed to assist guests into or out of the ride vehicles--someone in your party will need to do that. The FAQs have information on the rides and ride vehicles.

 

[disney david]

Their two eskers that are good contemporary. If you stay in the tower mk view then you can stay in the room to watch but can be expensive. The best resort in Disney world is the board walk inn everything in one buildin a very easy to get around in wheel chair. I would ask for 5 floor facing the court yard because in certain rooms you can see Paris in epcot and see some fire works. But you will he close to epcot and Dhs without needing to take transportion unless you want to take the boat.


So if it for great fire works view ne good resort contemporary but can be expensive for theme park view plus you van walk to mk. If it mk fire works poly also nice and you can see the fireworks by the beach might be little less then contemporary. The only problem with the poly is their building are spread out still easy to get around in a wheelchair.

While the board walkinn is a great resort you can see fire works if in the right standard room but not sure if they have accesible rooms facing that way. It be cheaper then contemporary and poly I also find it be the cheapest for the epcot resorts. Hole it help I know I gave you three but if I was me I pick board walk inn but it depends on what you would like which park your favorite.

 

[Bete]

I suggest highly that a scooter be considered for your grandmother. There is anywhere from 6 to 12 miles of walking per park per day depending on the length of your day and so forth. You need to walk around the park; you need to walk to get on and off rides; you need to walk to get in and out of shows; you need to walk in and out of restaurants. The walking adds up. She can practice on free scooters that are available in the grocery stores and such.

There are some Orlando area caregiver agencies you can hire, but you have to understand if they go in the park you pay for everything that way. I believe that even includes meal expenses (check with agency) if your grandfather eats in the parks, the caregiver gets to eat, too. You pay their wage which I think the going rate is $20/hour or higher and there are minimum times you must pay for (like 3 hours or so) each visit. Most agencies require you to pay the gasoline expense for the caregiver to get there and back home. These expenses can make it very cost prohibitive. Sometimes, it can be hard to get a hired caregiver to go along with the hours needed for the parks. If you have to get a second caregiver for the evening, then their way needs to be paid for park tickets and so forth, too.

I'm not sure about your own health situation or others in your party (your father); so, the info below may or may not be doable.

I'm not being mean, but I don't think it's worth the expense of doing a more expensive resort; so, your grandfather can see fireworks for 15 minutes. He may not even care. You all can take a ride to the Grand Floridian and watch MK fireworks for free at the pier there one night after your grandfather has a rest. I like seeing the fireworks there; it's almost as good as doing a fireworks cruise for it. Have a meal at this resort, too; so, it doesn't feel like a waste of time for you. It's my favorite resort. It's very pretty there.

In reality, there are no small resorts at Disney World; there are some that are not as large. All Disney resorts have rooms that have roll in showers available, but you do need to request it. You can get a preferred location at the values for like $15/day more. You can get a free refrigerator if you grandfather's meds need it at the values. You can request a ground floor; so, you don't need to use the elevators. You still have an outside room at the values and the mods, but you are closer to everything important with a preferred location. It can still be a long hike from the deluxes getting back and forth to the monorails from your room; the difference is you are inside, but the walking and pushing is still necessary. The monorails only cover two parks; so, it's not a complete answer, anyway. The moderates are pretty similar to the values when it comes to walking requirements. Now, if you want a nicer place to stay then that's a whole other story. Personally, I would save the money on a more expensive resort and get outside, caregiver help if there's a choice between the two and budget is a consideration for either one.

I don't know your own situation, but I push and take care of our 90 year old mother (she's not that heavy) when we go there. She's in a wheelchair and she's incontinent. She never learned to drive and she has Alzheimer's now; so, there's no way she could use a scooter. I'm really what I call a total caregiver; because, the caregiving is not just in the parks. I'm tired at the end of the day, but I manage it. There are family restrooms that are really helpful to me in the parks. Anyway, we get by with me pushing; so, do others on this disboards. My hubby joins me at times, but he's in a scooter the whole time himself. You know I'm not young myself if my mom is 90. We are not commandos and we go for a for an 8 to 10 day at the parks. By alternating activities I can rest from pushing the wheelchair; so, I can survive. You do a ride, then a show, do another ride, then do a snack, do another ride and see a parade, then do another ride and have a meal. You get the idea. If you alternate the pushing with your father you might be able to do it. You could always do a trial run with going to a local zoo for a day and see how it goes for the both of you and them. If your grandmother has been doing for your grandfather all this time I'm sure you and your father can manage for a week or so and push the grandfather at the parks.

Now, if money is no object then by all means go for the best and get the outside helper and stay at the best resorts. Personally, I would rather do the pushing myself and stay cheaper. Usually, it means we can go twice rather than once to Disney World. You make choices. I've stayed on all levels of resorts and I'm fine with the values. In 2012 the new value resort will open, Art of Animation. I'm not sure if you were going this November or next year.

There are brochures about disabilities for Disney World. You can do a search for them on internet and download and print. You can get them at the parks, too. The CMs will instruct you on what to do for the ride and shows. In reality there are not too many rides where the wheelchair will actually go on the ride. The ones that do wheelchair accessibility are mostly the milder rides. Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear are the only ones doable into the ride vevicle of the more popular rides there. You really need to be more satisfied with enjoying the activities at the parks like the parades, live entertainment and such.

Browse and read posts, here to learn more. You can learn from the other posts. There are books about being handicap and going to the Disney parks, too.

Most important if you decide to do the work for your grandparents don't make it feel like a burden to do it. This is why you may need a trial run to a zoo to see if you can manage it. I'm quite determined to do these trips with my mom; so, I will make every effort to continue to do them with her. Good luck.

 

[bopper]

Also you should think about how the day will go.
Do they get up early? How fast do they take to get ready in the morning?
How long will they be able to stay in the parks?
What time do they go to bed?
How "habitual" are they? Are they going to want to go back to watch "Judge Wapner" at 4:00pm or are they open to new experiences?
Will they be willing to stay in the hotel alone if they need to go back to rest?
Will you be willing to go out and do other things if they need to go back to rest?

How many days will the vacation be?

If money was no object then a monorail resort would be the best because it would be the easiest to get back to the resort from some of the parks.
If you have to go moderate then Port Orleans has a very nice atmosphere.

 

[Bete]

My mom is so pokey; it's just unbelievable. Even with full help it can be quite a while to get her cleaned and dressed each day. Eating is slow, too. Taking her medicines is a slow process. The above can take two or three hours depending on her mood. You name it and she's slow.

Getting her around in a wheelchair myself is fast by comparison to these other tasks. Your pace will be as good as your slowest person; so, this is why I suggest a scooter for your grandmother. You may have to help park the scooter on the buses and so forth for her. If your grandmother wants to walk through a ride queue she can do so by parking the scooter outside of the ride out of the way. Ride queues have twists and turns and it's harder to manuever a scooter through one.

Being up and around at home and being out on the town each day is very different from a regular routine. It will get both your grandparents more tired than usual. Sometimes my mom will nap during a show; I feel it refreshes her. If she continues to nap then I may call it quits for the day. It's her schedule, not mine.

My husband is 75 and diabetic and he needs a nap most days back at the resort. We go early to the parks; he and mom get a nap each afternoon and then we return to the park for the evening. If there are certain sports on especially certain teams then hubby is a diehard TV viewer no matter what there is to do on vacation.

If you are traveling by car make sure you bring the luggage to your grandparents room. I would absolutely help your grandparents get unpacked in their room upon arrival. Do the same and pack for them when you leave. Show them where all the light switches are located in the room. Get them to leave a light on at night (usually the restroom is best; you can close the door some; so, it's not as bright) in the room. It might be helpful to give them breakfast in their room. If you are in the same room, it should be easier; because, you will be more in control and you will be able to help their needs.

I doubt they will want to be in the park for as long as you like. Make sure they are safe if they are going back to the resort without you. This may mean you need to exit the park with them and get them to the correct bus or whatever. You take some of this for granted yourself; because, you've been there before. This all can be very overwhelming depending on their ages and capabilities. Infact, you may have to go all the way back to the resort with them; because, even if they are dropped off they still may have too hard of a time getting back to their room. Remember, your grandfather is in a wheelchair everywhere.

If your grandmother is more capable some tasks will be easier, but I would be watchful of her, as well.