People age, but that does not mean they give up on their dreams or lose interest in living life to the fullest. In fact, living fully and actively helps keep the mind young and the body healthy. A senior adult who makes a move to a retirement community likely does not want to shut the door on life, including being actively engaged in the community, visiting loved ones, and even traveling to other states or outside the country. If your parents are considering moving to a retirement community such as one of the six locations of Buckner Retirement Services in Texas, reassure them that travel is still possible. Buckner’s senior transportation services can be used to get to the local library, a nearby rail trail, the train station, or the airport.
Our residents visit their children in other states and take trips of all kinds, such as a weekend in a nearby city to watch a play on tour or a visit overseas to connect with an old college friend. Anything is possible. Find out about senior travel in retirement by calling us at 214.227.7182 or connecting with one of our staff by submitting our online form.
Can a Senior in a Retirement Community Travel?
Senior travel in retirement is increasingly common as global boundaries expand and airlines and other providers of public transport work to make travel accessible to people who need support.
Special assistance and equipment, such as wheelchairs, are provided by most reputable airlines, as well as Amtrak. There are numerous ways that the staff at Buckner can help you prepare your senior parent for travel, and our senior transportation services can make sure they get to the airport, bus, or train station in plenty of time to safely make their connection with ongoing transport.
Preparing Seniors for Transportation Services
If your senior parent is planning a trip, the better the planning, the more smoothly things will go. Below are some tips when helping your senior parent plan a trip. For more information about how to prepare for and successfully navigate senior travel, call Buckner Retirement Services at 214.227.7182.
- Plan ahead – Allow extra time for every stage of the process. For air travel, know the layout of the airport, and the terminal your parent will fly out of.
- Check identifying documentation – Valid ID, which means a passport for international travel. For domestic travel, if your parent no longer drives, a state-issued ID card will substitute for a license.
- Have pertinent medical information – Your parent should carry an easy-to-locate card that has critical information about medication and health issues in case of emergency. If they need to carry needles on board for medical reasons, a certified or notarized note from the doctor could expedite things at TSA.
- Request assistance ahead of time – Call the customer service phone number of the airline, bus line, or train line to discuss necessary accommodations or equipment needs. Wheelchair service, pre-boarding, and on-board help stowing bags or getting to the restrooms are all available.
- Prepare in advance for TSA screening – TSA has processes for screening people with medical equipment, special needs, or devices. Call the TSA Cares hotline for suggestions and help.
Retirement can be a chance to do some things that your parents might not have had the chance to do while they were working and raising a family. Travel is a dream of many people of retirement age, and they should be able to make that dream come true with some good planning and support from family and the staff at Buckner.
Call Buckner Retirement Services Today
Our senior transportation services can be the first step in an exciting trip across town, across the country, or across the ocean. Informing us of your parent’s travel hopes, dreams, and plans will help us help them make those dreams a reality.
Call Buckner at 214.227.7182 or connect via our online form to start the conversation about helping seniors travel in retirement.