Have you ever taken a vacation with your elder parent?…
Did you love it, or did you regret it?

Hubby and I are taking my Mom and a good friend of hers on a vacation. Actually my mother wanted to go on a cruise, but the trip to the boat is just too complicated and exhausting for her. So now we are flying to Mallorca (only an hour's flight) and will be staying in a Rio Hotel.

My mother is 85 and her friend is 83. Has anyone gone on a vacation with their elder parent or parents? How did you faire? I'm glad Hubby is coming along. On the other hand, he may become a basket case as well, and I'll have my hands really full.

My Mom's friend talks non-stop, and my mother is very hard of hearing, so we'll be shouting at her the entire week. Mom can't walk far, and her friend can't walk enough.

Our trip isn't booked till the end of March. If you don't hear from me sometime around the second week of April, then you can figure I took a loooong walk on a short pier. Ahoy

Oh, my ... but you are a brave woman! I'm trying to remember when my parents and I took a trip together. It's been a long time. While I love my parents dearly, my weekly spend-the-night and pizza out with them is difficult enough sometimes -- and then I feel guilty.

Since my Dad's accident when he was 80, they don't go anywhere except locally now.

Bring an iPod so you can tune out sometimes for short periods of time!

Actually, I admire you and your husband. This will mean the world to your mother, I am sure. I really kind of wish something like this were possible with my parents.

Hannelore, my best friend and I took her parents and my Mom on a Sunday all day adventure to a place in Newfoundland that they had never been in all their years of living there, kinda like in our own back yard deal.
I have the best memories because we made the trip theirs. We catered to their every whim. It is one of the many memories I now cherish. Mom is no longer with us. I remember how she talked about it long after.
I think this trip is a perfect time to create a cherished memory for you, your Mom and her friend. Hubby will get through this and will probably enjoy it as much as everyone. Have a great time.

chick

Have fun Hannalore! I agree there are some wonderful memories to made on this trip!

Thanks Gals. Actually my feelings are see-sawing between what Eviltwin and what Chick said.
But I am grateful that we can do this for her, and we will orient ourselves to thinking this is not our vacation; this is Mom's and her friend's vacation.
I'll send Hubby off to play golf if he can't take it.

Hannelore,

I'm currently on my 4th or 5th trip with my parents in less than 2 years...my sister is also on this trip...as well as my daughter and 7 month old granddaughter...

some of the trips have been easier than others...over all...I'm grateful for the time to spend with them...I go with no agenda of my own...I'm the designated driver...and try to let them have the experience that they want...

Good luck...have fun...

I would consider renting a portable, light weight wheel chair for your mother. My sister and I did this for our aunt on a trip and it really helped. Uh...good luck!

Hannelore,
Chick had a wonderful way to handle the trip - "we made the trip theirs. We catered to their every whim." I am going to remember that!!! We (my husband and I) have taken my folks (his have both passed) on a couple of trips, no more than 600 miles. If I'd had chick's frame of mind, the trip would have been so much better. As it was, I was wanting to go home so badly throughout the trips. Of course, HL, you probably aren't dealing with dynamics anywhere similar to what goes on between my parents. I sure hope you're not! My mom is the incessant talker, having to feel every quiet moment with some senseless question - sorry, but that's how it comes across. I guess she doesn't want to be in her own head with her own thoughts. UH, OH, I've gone and said too much again... oh well, I'm not retracting any of it. It stays as typed.

We took my dad to a family wedding in New Orleans and used a wheel chair when we wandered the city. It worked beautifully. He never uses one but we thought he'd need it since we wanted to really get around and see verything in one day.

Go with the selfless mindset and I think you'll be fine. The fact that she has a friend going is perfect. That way they'll have each other if you and hubby want to skip out on your own to do something.

I want to take my dad to the beach for his birthday. It's about three hours away. We can go for a night or two. I just hope he's up to it. He is sticking closer to home all the time.

Oh and Hannelore, a long walk on a short pier reminds me of Mom. She used to say that. I haven't heard that in a long time. What a hoot.