Cruises for Alzheimer’s Caregivers.
Here’s a great Christmas present for the caregiver in your family…
OpenSeas Travel offer Caregiver Stress Management Cruises. In 2008, there are two cruises available. Designed to provide rest and respite for caregviers, they offe not only relaxation but also education. Throughout the cruise there are plenty of one-hour presentations on Caregiver Stress Management Techniques.
T. Patrick Toal, MSW, contributor to the book, “You Are One of Us” by author Lisa Gwyther and co-author of “Pressure Points: Alzheimers and Anger” with Lisa Gwyther, Edna Ballard and Partick Toal, will be the onboard presenter.
Caregiver Stress Management Cruise #1
January 3, 2008
4 nights - Western Caribbean
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Enchantment of the Seas
Caregiver Stress Management Cruise #2
April 27, 2008
7 Nights - Mexican Riviera
Princess Cruise Line’s Dawn Princess
(photo by mre770)
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POSTED IN: Alzheimer's/Caregivers, Alzheimer's/General, Alzheimer's/Misc, Alzheimer's/Personal Caregiving Experiences
10 opinions for Cruises for Alzheimer’s Caregivers.
Mary Emma Allen
Dec 1, 2007 at 9:23 am
What a great way for caregivers to take a break while learning about stress management. Thanks for finding this information, Liz.
Patrick
Feb 3, 2008 at 11:53 am
I don’t know who posted this, but thank you very much. The last cruise we coordinated included “care partners.” Both the spouse and the care partner with Alzheimer’s were onboard together.
This is the first time we have had both onboard together and I was a little nervous about how things would go, but, all in all, it worked out quite well. This is a great time to bond with others you may know from your community and from support group meetings. Most people come away from this type of vacation with a deeper friendship and camaraderie.
If you are a care partner and would like to correspond with others like yourself, Joan Gershman has created a website just for the Alzheimer’s Spouse at
http://www.thealzheimerspouse.com/
She was on the cruise with us and one of my new unsung heroes.
Liz Lewis
Feb 4, 2008 at 1:07 am
Hi Patrick, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I think the ‘cruise for caregivers’ concept is a brilliant one and well earned for all the caregivers lucky enough to participate. Joan sounds like an amazing woman and her website is great resource.
cheers,
liz
Sheila
Feb 12, 2008 at 1:04 am
At the monthly Alzheimer’s support group I attend, I was telling the group that I thought it would be a great idea to have a cruise for caregivers. And here it is! Fabulous idea!
Liz Lewis
Feb 23, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Hey Sheila, the cruise does sound great. Hope you and some of your group have a chance to go on one. If you do, let us know how it was.
Patrick
May 18, 2008 at 2:01 pm
We are planning two more cruises for 2009. We have found that the shorter cruises are very affordable and allow respite for those caregivers who really find it hard to get away and take a break for more than A FEW DAYS A YEAR!
The first cruise will be offered in February and will depart from Fort Lauderdale.
We hope some of you will join us.
http://WWW.CAREGIVERSCRUISES.COM
Mary Emma Allen
May 18, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Thanks, Patrick, for letting our readers know about the new cruises for caregivers. I hope that any who take the cruises will give us a report on what they did and how these helped them to relax away from their caregiving duties.
Patrick
Jul 3, 2008 at 6:21 pm
There are two new cruises for 2009 and 2010. The cruises for 2010 will not be scheduled until later, but will be during same months as 2009: February and September. So, mark your calendars now.
February 9-14, 2009
Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Century
Miami to Miami
September 4-11, 2009
Alaskan Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas
Seattle to Seattle
http://www.CAREGIVERCRUISES.com
We usually use a host hotel the night before the cruise leaves so that people arriving early can rest and relax with new friends that they have been corresponding with on our message boards. Some of us go to dinner together and then we have a support group meeting at the hotel for those who are interested. I also usually try to arrange a “Sweetheart Dance” at one of the local Senior Centers a couple of nights before. Anyone can attend, but most of the couples are spouses caring for a husband or wife with Alzheimer’s or other Dementias.
Last year we donated several caregiver cruises to non-profits. The Eastern NC Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association chose to raffle the one we gave them. It raised over $8000 for the Chapter.
We try to keep these trips very affordable so that as many people as possible can join us. If any of you would like to join us, I hope you will do so in 2009 or 2010.
Revisiting ‘Cruises for Alzheimer’s Caregivers’.
Jul 3, 2008 at 8:12 pm
[…] Last year, Alzheimer’s Notes wrote about ‘Cruises for Alzheimer’s Caregivers’. […]
Barbara Kellner
Jul 3, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I recently lost a loved one due to complications from Vascular Dementia. I certainly will share Cruises for Caregivers with other people I met in my support group. They will bode well if they take advantage of the information.
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