Keeping In Touch With Your Elderly Relatives While You Travel

Having the opportunity to travel is a wonderful thing, you get to see and experience new things and meet new people. However, you are also leaving a lot of your life behind, and this can be difficult. Luckily, it is easier than ever to keep in contact with home, you can video chat your family from almost anywhere in the world!

This may not be true for your elderly relatives who perhaps don't have smartphones. But it is essential that you keep in touch with them, as they might be anxious to know that you are safe. Furthermore, as our grandparents or great grandparents age, we don't know how long they have left with us, so you must stay connected. Perhaps they are unwell or in a for profit or a non profit nursing home, which can also bring its own challenges. That's why we have put together some ideas to help you to keep in touch.

If you are responsible for their care, then try not to let this stop you from doing the travel that you want to do. There are ways that you can be a caregiver from a distance with the right help and support.

Give them an old device
Depending on their capabilities you may want to consider giving your relative some technology lessons. If you can teach them to use a type of video chat before you go, then you will easily be able to keep in touch with them. Something such as WhatsApp might be an easier option and will also allow you to send plenty of photos.

Teaching your elderly relative how to use a phone might be challenging. However, it also comes with lots of benefits. Loneliness is common in elderly people and it can help to alleviate this. It might also help to alleviate boredom; they might start to play games on the device or read articles. Learning something new is inherently beneficial for elderly people, keeping their minds active helps to keep them healthy.

Enlist the help of relatives or care staff
If teaching them to use a smartphone is not an option, then ask relatives or care staff if they are in a home for help. You can phone your relatives while they are visiting, and they can show them pictures.

Activity staff might also be able to help, if you get their information, they can help you to stay in touch. They might even be able to put you on a bigger screen so you can talk to other people at the home. They might like to see you enjoying your adventures around the world.

Postcards
Postcards may be old-fashioned, but that is exactly why they are perfect for our elderly relatives. It shows effort and thought. You could do this alongside using smart devices.

If they are in a home you could even write the card to everyone there, the activity staff can then read it out for you. They will be happy that you are thinking about them.