Traveling in Retirement: Take Care of Health on the Road

From the Kiplinger website

Last winter, after David John, 64, had knee replacement surgery, the emergency room physician from Stafford Springs, Conn., decided to recuperate in Florida. He invited his then 84-year-old mother to join him. John hobbled around the airport with a cane, while his mother was in a wheelchair. When they landed, he counted 16 wheelchairs lined up at the gate.

Aging isn’t stopping older adults from being on the move. But you do need to be health-smart when you hit the road to travel. What if you are abroad, or across the U.S., and have an accident? What if a chronic illness flares up?

Sometimes, the fear of those health “what ifs” keeps people home. But that doesn’t have to be the case. “The good news is that airlines, cruises and resorts are better equipped than ever to deal with older adults who need help,” says John Schall, chief executive officer of Caregiver Action Network, a nonprofit for family caregivers.

Here’s what experts advise: