How old is too old?

[i12go2wdw]

For those of you who have travelld with parents and grandparents do you have any words of wisdom for me. I will be going with my children and parents. My mother is a young 73 yo. and my father is 78 and showing signs of wear, but would never admit it. I am worried about wearing him out or even worse, he will want to do all the rides and I am a bit concerned. Has anyone else had these issues?
TIA Christine

 

[all4fun]

For those of you who have travelld with parents and grandparents do you have any words of wisdom for me. I will be going with my children and parents. My mother is a young 73 yo. and my father is 78 and showing signs of wear, but would never admit it. I am worried about wearing him out or even worse, he will want to do all the rides and I am a bit concerned. Has anyone else had these issues?
TIA Christine

My parents have gone twice with us. Mom unfortunately is not in the greatest shape, and has difficulty walking due to a condition w/her leg. She has other health issues as well. Dad, otoh, had knee surgery a few months before the trip but was able to walk everywhere. They rented an ECV for mom to use and she was able to get around great on that. She has no problem skipping the more exciting rides though. There is a lot to do there that doesn't involve thrills that could affect health conditions. You might point out to him all the ride warnings and have him discuss it with his doctor as well. Just a thought.

 

[SueM in MN]

you might want to look at the disABILITIES FAQs thread if you think you might want to rent an ECV or wheelchair.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Will there ever be a time that your parents will be back in the hotel resting and the rest of you will be in the parks? Maybe you could do the faster rides then so your parents don't feel left out.
I went once with my grandmother and her 4 sisters. They were all in their 70's and 80's. I think the fastest thing they went on was BTMRR.

 

[i12go2wdw]

thanks for your suggestions, it seems like just yesterday he was taking me to Disney, this is the first time we have had any of these concerns and it is hard to face. Guess I am not used to the idea that they are getting old.

 

[Camno's Mama]

Dh's uncle just took Dh's grandfather, who is 93, to the world. He's not in the greatest shape physically...great for 93, but still 93. They got a wheelchair and he rode around a lot. They also took a lot of breaks. Knowing him, I'm sure he loved people watching on the benches!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[DisneyPhD]

read my 1st tag, I got it in response to this question once!

 

[bobbiwoz]

DMom was 81 when we convinced her to do Splash Mountain. She enjoyed it ONCE! She picked WDW as the place she wanted to celebrate her 85th birthday at in December '04. We celebrated a DAunt's 80th birthday at WDW, October '06 and her DH who was 85 at the time did the Magic Behind the Steam Trains tour with DH. DUnc loved it. I think it was the highlight of his trip. DAunt needed a wheelchair, but I think that was one of her best birthdays ever!

It's now 1 1/2 years after that DAunts birthday, and neither my DMom, DAunt or DUnc will ever go to WDW any more. So, if you think it's possible and they are "game" go for it! When it's the time that they can't go, they will know it, and so will you.

Bobbi

 

[Tink415]

My Dad is 75, active, he's at the gym several times a week, he still skis, (slowly, but its skiing!) and bikes. He had a valve replacement done a few years ago. I rented him an ECV at the parks and it really added to his enjoyment. I think if I had suggested using an ECV ahead of time he might have said no, I just got it the first time without saying anything, and he said it was easy to use and he liked it. He was able to keep his stamina level up when the rest of us were dragging When they were sold out of ECVs at the Epcot front entrance one night he had a look on his face...when my DD and I walked over to World showcase entrance and rented one there.. he was all smiles again Now the parks weren't that crowded when we were there, I know it would be harder to manuever in crowds, but stll well worth it.

If he comes again with us I would consider renting an ECV the entire time.

 

[i12go2wdw]

The ECV is a great idea and I like the idea of just getting it and see what the reaction is instead of discussing it. Had your dad ever driven one before? My dad still drives a car but, how shall I say this, he isn't the most cautious driver, do you think it will be a problem?

 

[Tink415]

No, my Dad had never driven an ECV before. He still drives a car but not at night if he can avoid it. My sister and I tried the ECV too, it was easy to use.

 

[bscs]

I understand older adults I work in a residental care facility.
Also I will be bringing my parents this trip.
Well since I know they wouldn't be able to handel WDW we are skipping it this time and only doing slower pace things like possibly Sea World, cocoa beach, dinner show, ect.
Remember it's not only keeping up physically but crowds often bother older people.
Maybe you could try one day then let them rest at the Hotel/condo/resort while you either stay with them and relax also or if they are ok with this go off on your own to the parks.
You know them better than anyone so follow your insticts.
Remeber to ask them to be honest at all times on how they feel.

 

[i12go2wdw]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom, I am very thankful that you are all so understanding. It feels so strange to be the caregiver to my parents on this trip. We will be at the parks for 2 days then we are going on the DCL. I am not worried about that so much, we will have 5 kids to help find the two grandparents because I know they will be lost most of the time but what better place to be lost??

 

[Juliegirl1]

I want to stress the importance of following the warnings on the rides. We took my 65 year old father who has Parkinson's over Christmas. He had a medical checkup right before we went. He insisted on riding Expedition Everest against my better judgement. When he got off he was white as a ghost, his eyes were wild and he looked awful. I immediately forbid him from riding any other roller coasters. After we got back from our trip he had to go back to the doctor and they told him that he'd had two mini strokes since his last visit. I firmly believe that he must have had at least one on Everest. A week later that young gentleman died on the ride. My father had not had any heart problems before the trip.

It's better to err on the side of caution when heeding those warnings.

Also I definitely recommend the ECV. It will help out with stamina but they rent out pretty quickly and it can be hard to rent one in the afternoons if you are there during a busy time.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

My Mom has decided to join us on our Magical Gathering in July. She will be celebrating her 80th birthday the second day of our trip. The last time she went was 20 years ago (another giant family trip!).

She is going to rent a wheelchair (not an ECV as she knows her limits, she'd be running people over trying to work that one). She also knows her limits and won't mind sitting out thrill rides and will also spend a lot more "down time" at the resort. I'm glad to picked YC for this vacation. She can hang by the pool, or sit on the benches or rockers and people watch. She can also just relax in her room when she wants. She is so excited to be coming on this trip. We will be 4 generations and my Mom is soooo close to her grandchildren and now great grandchildren and they are so excited for her to join us!

We have gone on previous trips with my in-laws. My MIL is 73 and FIL is 77 and they did amazingly well!

 

[DevilDuckie]

When doing Disney with a small child, senior or anyone with mobility challenges, the trick is to remember to cater to their pace. 10 things done happily are better than 20 done rushed and worried. When my aunt and uncle took my grandparents (who were in their 70s) the Grands wanted some alone time as a couple. Your folks may well feel the same way and take some time alone for relaxing.

 

[dyna]

I think it's GREAT when the old folks goes to disney an enjoys it.... it's not something my parents would enjoy doing even in their younger years disney an other parks zoo's etc just was not their thing.

 

[_queenie_]

If he wouldn't feel too embarassed you could rent a wheel chair that he can get in and out of. That's what my dad did a few years ago.

 

[Rylee]

For those of you who have travelld with parents and grandparents do you have any words of wisdom for me. I will be going with my children and parents. My mother is a young 73 yo. and my father is 78 and showing signs of wear, but would never admit it. I am worried about wearing him out or even worse, he will want to do all the rides and I am a bit concerned. Has anyone else had these issues?
TIA Christine

Reading your post has made me feel so sad.

My parents took us to Disney many times growing up. My mother appreciated Disney... how such a large operation can run so smoothly, the cleanliness, the details, etc., but my Dad LOVES Disney,. He "gets it," he feels the magic.

Two years ago, after we returned for our family trip, (DH, 3 DD's, 2 DS's and I) he came over to watch our videos of the parks, and he had tears in his eyes, not because he couldn't go but from his awareness of what stage of life he is in. He said, "I'll never get to Disney again."

The following year (2007), he turned 80, and for his birthday, we offered to send him to Disney for his birthday present. (I didn't dare just book it, he has never been on a plane, never, he refuses to fly, and I'm not sure how well he would handle the trip by car. We're in NY.)

Anyway, he says he has his memories, and he's just glad we're able to take his grandchildren to a place he loves.

I know I'm blessed to still have my father, but how I wish I could take him, one last time.


Have a magical trip and cherish the time you have together.

 

[i12go2wdw]

Thank you all, I feel so much better about how to handle the trip now. My dad will be in his happy place as he has always thought the Disney parks were amazing, he likes to go see the characters too. I guess I just had to get my head around the idea of the different kind of trip we will have.
Rylee, thank you for your kind words, I am now thinking of this as my parents trip, not about the kids, they will cherish the memories of being with their very much loved grandparents more than memories of rides. Now I know what I need to do, thank you all so much,
Christine