Recommendations when traveling with a senior

[soaringirl]

Along with my DH and 2 kids, my DMIL (74) will be coming with us, for a 4 day DLR visit (along with 3 days at San Diego ).
But my DMIL is one of those persons who takes the car for EVERYTHING! She doesn't like to walk at all. I've been telling her since December that she needs to walk even if it's a little bit every day, and she's like "yeah, yeah...", so I just threw the towel with her (she's a very nice lady though ).
Anyway, can someone who's been in the same situation give me some recommendation when at the parks? I'm thinking that I will rent her a wheelchair for WoC and RDCT days, since I know that she will not endure having to stand so many hours in one spot. I will not rent the wheelchair for all 4 days since I also know that she has a proud side, and she will try to walk, even so slowly, most of the time.
thanks for any advice!!

 

[skiingfast]

Don't get her a WC, get her an ECV so she can drive herself.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

We traveled with my DMIL to DLR and San Diego this past October. I know you said you threw in the towel when it comes to getting her to do some walking, but I would keep working on her. My DMIL joined a gym before our trip and she said that it made a huge difference for her. There were days when she moved a little slower, but she paired up with my slow poke 5 year old and they took things at their own pace. There were times that she just needed a break, so she would bring her book in her purse and find a bench. Several evenings she stayed back at the hotel with the kids because she was ready for bed just as much as they were.

There is a link to our trip report in my signature that would allow her to see just how much walking was involved. Keep working on her and I bet she will be happy that you were looking out for her!

 

[Geemo]

There will be plenty of walking as you know. It's good you are trying to have her prep for the trip.

Is there anyone else you could have help you, to get her to understand the AMOUNT of WALKING involved in a Disneyland trip?

Bring up Disneyland and California Adventure on Google Earth. Have her look at the screen to see the parks. It might give her an idea of distances. It will also show driving from place to place isn't an option.

You might also want to take her shoe shopping. She can get a sturdy-comfortable pair of shoes for the trip. And begin breaking them in NOW as she gets ready for the trip. I always remind anyone traveling with me to Disneyland to be prepared to walk at least 8 miles a day. And pack good shoes and socks!!

 

[Eeee-va]

If your DMIL mostly just doesn't want to walk for whatever reason, then I agree that trying to convince her may be a good idea. Walking is generally a very healthy and good exercise.

But since she doesn't want to walk anywhere, I wonder if she has pain/joint/autoimmune issues that prevent her from walking much, and may not want to admit it. My mom's like that--she's not being lazy, but when it hurts to move due to hip problems and fibromyalgia...well, if Mom tries to walk through the parks all day, she can do that for a couple hours...and then will end up going back to the room and spending the rest of the day in the room. At least, that's how it went on our previous trips.

Most recently, she rented an ECV to drive from place to place. She still did some walking (like through the queues, meandering through the lands, etc.) but it allowed her to spend substantially more time in the parks than she had on our previous trips. It really made the trip much more comfortable for her (and for me, as I wasn't waiting around for half an hour for her to get the energy to move on).

Just a thought. ECVs are a little pricey but if you rent them off-site it will probably be less than $200 for 4 days (I think ours was less than $150). Then she would be driving everywhere....

Have a great trip!

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

We took my 90year old mother with us in Dec. for 2days. We knew she could not walk but a WC worked out great for us. She even rode lots of rides! Indy, Star Tours, and lots more. When she got real tired we pushed her back to the Hotel and went back to get her a few hours later.

 

[soaringirl]

Thanks everyone with the good advice! I did ask DH to push her to walk at least 5 minutes at first, and then add more as she feels more comfortable. It's SO important for her to walk... one of my DBIL just got her a puppy, and she will have to walk her everyday, so I hope that she understands the importance of being fit.
I'm thinking that she might need a nap, and since we're staying at HoJo, it might be a good idea to take her back to rest for a couple of hours. Also will try to find nice places inside the parks where she can rest for a while.

 

[juliamollymama]

ECV is the way to go. I had 3 with me on ECV's last summer and it worked out fine. My mom always uses one and when she does want to get out and stretch her legs, she grabs her cane and walks a bit while I drive her ECV slowly behind. I secretly don't mind sitting and driving for a few minutes . I highly recommend it for her though. You can do like we do and have her walk every so often for a bit while someone else drives.

 

[lozzypop]

We are going in May with my Mom and stepdad (both 65). I am not worried about my SD since he has a full time and very physical job. But my mother has fibromyalgia and is basically not in very good shape. One of the things I think will help us (and I haven't ruled out renting a wheelchair) is that I have planned our park touring to try and reduce our walking time.

So no crisscrossing the park to take advantage of FastPass (I will be the FP runner if needed since I have the stamina for it). Once we are in a land, we are going to stay there until we experience what we want to. I am also planning to use the train for transport between lands and back to the main entrance at mid-day for our lengthy hotel break. That gives the feet and legs a nice break before you have to get back on them again. I am saving shows for the afternoon and evening when everyone is more tired anyway. We are sucking it up and trying the F! dessert seating for the first time just so my Mom can have a chair. As for World of Color, I am hoping that getting a GAC will get my Mom bench space for the huge chunk of time you have to wait to get a good view.

The other thing I am going to try and go in with is a good attitude - so what if we don't see and do everything? It's not like I won't be back again and the most important thing to me is that my Mom & SD have a good time, not be exhausted by the whole experience.

 

[Mom2Christina]

I strongly, strongly suggest you rent an ECV for the entire Disney trip. Please read my entire post before you decide against it, as I know you said you are concerned about her resisting and insisting on walking if ever so slowly.

Pushing a wheelchair can be very exhausting even if the person being pushed is a lightweight and the pusher is strong. Lots of hills, ups and downs and distances. Get her the ECV, do some practice driving perhaps driving a grocery store ECV before the trip so she is a bit more comfortable with the idea. Having her drive an ECV will have it's other advantages as well, including keeping your vacation at a pace you are comfortable with, rather than waiting for her all the time (assuming she is going to be walking slow, as you made it sound)

I am sure you know that it will be busy in May, depending on what day you are going; many schools get out in May. Please please consider her age and health in knowing there are often people not paying attention to where they are walking, children running, etc. It would not take a lot for her to get bumped into and we all know that falls with elderly result in broken bones. It sounds like she is very independent and does not want to be told what to do but ultimately, you will be responsbile for her and may know what is best.

There is SO much she will be able to enjoy including all the parades, shows, the food, watching her grandchildren have a good time. Have her take lots of pictures of the 4 of you, it will give her something else to enjoy. Be sure to have the Disney photographers take pics of all of you. (specified areas in the park, shown on the map-you may be familiar) Use caution when getting her on ANY ride. Someone mentioned Indy was okay for their senior relative, but I find that to be a very bumpy ride and you really kind of need some sort of strength to hang on. My vote is for "safe" rides like Mickeys Fun Wheel, again, the shows, Aladdin at the Hyperion theater is not to be missed.

 

[Mom2Christina]

Also, you can reserve an ECV from Deckert Surgical and have it delivered to the HOJO. They should have a shuttle to transport you all to the park, not sure though since they are so close to the park. You could also walk. The benefits of renting outside the park, cost will be much lower than renting per day at Disney. Disneys ECVS are bulkier and harder to drive through ques and drive slower. They also run out of them from time to time. So you would be guaranteed an ECV and save money.

Don't forget to inquire at every ride entrance, check your park map for the handicapped entrance to the rides. Rides like Pirates of the Carribean load handicapped guests at the exit.

Have a safe and fun visit!

 

[Mom2Christina]

Oh! I forgot to address your looking for quiet places around the park to rest. Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country is kind of nice and quiet at times, shaded, sort of peaceful by the water, ducks nearby. The Grand lobby is quite relaxing, even if you are not staying there, you can always pop in the gift shop and enjoy the lobby or sit by the fire for a while. Switch off with your spouse, having him take the kids while you sit with her for a while. Napping during the day is a also good solution depending on how how many hours you plan to stay in the park. I know when we last took my Dad he was 65 but an 8 hour day for him was plenty. If you are planning a 10 plus hour day at the park, you could always plan an afternoon break, lunch and a nap at the hotel, back in a couple of hours at the park. Helps to keep the kiddos awake to see all the nighttime fun, WoC, etc. What you DONT want to happen is for her to resist and say she is fine and then at the end of the day when you are about to see WoC she says she wants to leave or worse yet, falls asleep in the ECV, not being able to drive herself back.

Anyway, hope I helped. I have so much experience with this as I have lived with and cared for both of my elderly parents at one time and have taken them both to Disney. Now please don't tell me she smokes because that requires another several paragraphs outta me.

 

[Eeee-va]

There is a shuttle from Hojo ($4/day if I recall correctly). My mom took it on the trips before she decided to get an ECV. From the time she got to the shuttle pick-up area to the time she made it to the parks was probably 45 minutes. It probably helped her a little but with her pain and fatigue issues she was unable to stay in the park for more than a few hours anyway. The ECV is the only thing that allowed her to have a full day.

If someone has trouble walking 5 minutes...well, it's probably at least a 5 minute walk from the shuttle stop to the end of Main Street.

 

[soaringirl]

Thanks again everybody! ECV seems like the way to go but... we're already out of budget. The ECV money will have to be from souvenirs money, so it's a no .
Renting a wheelchair would be better money-wise. Don't like the idea of pushing her (she's a lightweight pooh-sized ) but DH is strong, he can do it . And after reading some of your posts, I'm thinking we'll need it 4 days
I'm beginning to feel that we'll be having a toddler with us, for naps and resting time! But maybe it's not such a bad thing, the kids will love that "resting" time for pool time!
I just texted her with a friendly reminder of her daily walk I hope she gets the subtle hint!

 

[DizMe]

We took my 78-year-old mom a few years ago. We rented an ECV and I will tell you that she HATED it. She used it for 1/2 a day and then refused to do it anymore. We ended up calling Deckert and having them pick it up again.

We then rented a wheelchair from DLR, and that worked out perfectly. My mom was not comfortable at the wheel of the ECV and it totally stressed her out. The wheelchair was a lot more maneuverable for us but it WAS a little tiring for the person pushing (me!). Still, it was by far the best solution for getting around for us (and a lot cheaper).

We sometimes split up so that Mom could do some resting or leisure-paced activities that the kids weren't keen on, like browsing in DTD. I splurged and got her concierge at GCH and she loved that because she could sit in the lounge and enjoy the food and beverages and read. I know that's not an option in this case but just a thought for others who might be in similar circumstances.

 

[Shoshana]

We rented an ECV at WDW for my 78-yr-old mother and it was an absolute disaster!! Driving it in crowds made my mother a nervous wreck. She was too polite, so she'd sit and let dozens and dozens of people pass by. I tried to walk next to her or in front of her to try to clear a path. I looked like a lunatic. Did I mention that my mother's ECV experience was a disaster? We exchanged it for a regular wheelchair and yours truly pushed. My mother weighs 270. I'm small. I really struggled with inclines but at least she was relaxed and we made progress.

 

[soaringirl]

We took my 78-year-old mom a few years ago. We rented an ECV and I will tell you that she HATED it. She used it for 1/2 a day and then refused to do it anymore. We ended up calling Deckert and having them pick it up again.

We then rented a wheelchair from DLR, and that worked out perfectly. My mom was not comfortable at the wheel of the ECV and it totally stressed her out. The wheelchair was a lot more maneuverable for us but it WAS a little tiring for the person pushing (me!). Still, it was by far the best solution for getting around for us (and a lot cheaper).

We rented an ECV at WDW for my 78-yr-old mother and it was an absolute disaster!! Driving it in crowds made my mother a nervous wreck. She was too polite, so she'd sit and let dozens and dozens of people pass by. I tried to walk next to her or in front of her to try to clear a path. I looked like a lunatic. Did I mention that my mother's ECV experience was a disaster? We exchanged it for a regular wheelchair and yours truly pushed. My mother weighs 270. I'm small. I really struggled with inclines but at least she was relaxed and we made progress.

After reading both your posts, I could picture my MIL like that. Exactly like that! I know I'll help DH to push, and I know that she will not be in the wheelchair all the time, but it seems the best solution.
I think I'll also consider ART too. I prefer to walk, so I might let DH and DMIL in the ART while the kids and I go walking
Thanks for relating your experiences!

 

[izzystout]

I am having similar thoughts about going with my in laws. My MIL has lupis (sp?) and my FIL has cancer and congestive heart failure. So we will be taking it slow. It shouldn't be to bad because we will have a three year old with us. I like the idea of planning afternoon rest time, but my FIL goes to bed at like 6 pm, so I am not sure how well that will work. It will be nice to have someone who is not going on the rides that will stay with DS.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

If you don't want to rent an ECV from Deckert, you might see if you can rent a traditional wheelchair from them. I'm sure it would be cheaper, and you could use it to go to and from the hotel as well.

My mom loved her ECV, though!

 

[lcasa]

I take my 88 year old mother a couple of times a year - have for a few years. We tried an ECV once 10 years ago or so at WDW and as a few others have mentioned it was a disaster in the crowds - she even ran over my foot ( OUCH). We always do a regular WC now and it works out fine - but it is a workout for me - there are a lot of ramps! So you need to be in shape as well. On the plus side if you bring a backpack or bag with widespread straps you can hang it on the back and relieve yourself of the weight all the other stuff required for a day at the park.
I think you'll find the WC the right way to go.