I'm moving my mother, but should I take her by car or send her by plane?

A fellow caregiver asked...

I am planning to move my mother to our new house in Texas from her home in Arizona. She can no longer live by herself and I have been caring for her since April. I am having difficulty coordinating the last minute details. My mom has early stages of dementia, has been on hospice now uses the walker, has osteo and COPD. The question is should I bring her on road trip by car maybee 2 nites at the most or put here with someone she knows to take her by plane? Which will cause the least amount of turmoil?

Expert Answer

Your mother is fortunate you're looking our for her with such care. I think the best approach to answering this question is to draw up a "pros" and "cons" list for each option and hash-out the details. Include things like costs; physical comfort (driving may involve windy roads and bumps, but unlike in an airplane you can stop for breathers as often as you want); time involved; health issues (good to get your mom's doctors' opinion on which mode of traveling is best); and your mother's personality. Does she like to fly? Does she like car rides? With early dementia, will either of these be more, or less,  likely to frighten or confuse her right now, as this is a huge and emotional change. My hope is after a thorough comparison, the best choice will be clear. Either way, it would be best for her to travel with a familiar face if possible. She may need lots of reassurance and comforting.  Good luck with this significant undertaking.