Australians are open to travelling with someone living with dementia, new survey reveals
A new survey of more than 1,000 Australians has found that more than eight in ten Australians surveyed (83.47%) would consider some form of travel with someone who has dementia. Willingness to travel ranged from short local trips through to international travel, challenging the general assumption that a dementia diagnosis means travel must stop.
The findings come as Dementia Action Week (21–27 September) approaches and World Tourism Day falls on 27 September, creating a timely opportunity to consider how travel can remain part of life for people living with dementia and those who care for them.
The new survey, commissioned by dementia and carers’ advocate Dr Debra Graves OAM, co-author of To Dementia With Love, explores attitudes towards travelling with someone living with dementia.
While most people (42%) said they would favour shorter, local trips, 14.54% would consider domestic travel across Australia, (such as between major cities and capitals), and 17.43% would be willing to consider longer trips within their region, (such as day or weekend trips within a few hours’ travel).
Nearly 10% would consider international travel, including travel to nearby countries, such as New Zealand and the Pacific Islands (4.48%), while 4.98% would consider long-haul flights to destinations, such as Europe, Asia or North America.
The findings also point to strong support for a more personalised approach to caring for someone who has dementia.
More than 66% of Australians stated that a personalised approach to dementia care (taking into account an individual’s personal interests, likes and dislikes), would be either ‘very beneficial’ (39.84%) or ‘extremely beneficial’ (26.69%).
For Dr Graves, the figures provide an opportunity to change the way we talk about dementia and travel.
“This Dementia Action Week, we’re being encouraged to talk about dementia. I think we need to talk about all of it, including the things people living with dementia still want to do and have always enjoyed.
“Travel is one of those things. Too often, the conversation starts with what someone can no longer do. I’d much rather we started asking what is still possible, and what would make it possible for more people,” said Dr Graves.
Changing the question
Dr Graves believes the more interesting conversation is not simply whether people would travel with someone who has dementia, but what would give them the confidence to do so.
“We already have a common mindset that travelling with someone with dementia may be too difficult. If we only ask whether people would travel, we risk reinforcing that mindset. Instead, I want to know: what would make you say yes?
“For some people, the answer might be better preparation or information. For others, it could be more understanding from airline and airport staff, dementia-friendly accommodation, greater flexibility or simply knowing that other families have successfully travelled together.
“It is also useful to start thinking about the travelling companion as well as the person living with dementia. What support do they need? What information would make them feel more confident? What could the tourism industry do to remove some of the uncertainty?” said Dr Graves.
A personal journey
For Dr Graves, this is more than a survey finding. After her husband Don was diagnosed with dementia, the couple continued to travel together.
“Of course, travelling with dementia wasn’t always easy. We had to adapt and we had to think ahead. But we also had wonderful experiences together. I would never want families to feel that a diagnosis means they have to immediately cancel the things that bring them joy. Dementia may change the way you travel. It doesn’t necessarily mean the journey has to end,” said Dr Graves.
Dr Graves hopes her message will encourage families, carers and the tourism industry to think differently about what remains possible.
A conversation for the tourism industry
Dr Graves says the timing of World Tourism Day and Dementia Action Week presents an opportunity for the tourism industry to consider what it can do to make travel more accessible and less daunting for people living with dementia and their carers.
“This is not about pretending that travelling with dementia is always easy. It’s about asking what we can do to make it easier. There are people who are willing to travel. So, let’s talk about what would help more people feel confident enough to do it.”
For Dr Graves, that is the conversation she would like to see this Dementia Action Week. “Don’t start with ‘Can they travel?’, start with ‘How can we help them travel?’”
This survey was commissioned by Dr Debra Graves, conducted by PureProfile, surveying more than 1,000 respondents across Australia.
