Traveling with frail Mom

Just bought a used Coachman class C - planning a trip out to Colorado and Yellowstone with wife and daughter.  When we told my mom of our plans, age 87 and with a bit of a heart valve issue, she wants to go and "see the country". Her only request is a working bathroom.  My wife and I are medical people, so I think we have that covered, but does anybody have any pointers about traveling with somewhat frail and elderly, but game, passengers?

Thanks to all for your good information and time spent answering questions. I just joined and am slowly going through the newcomer's forum and writing down stuff-very helpful and informative.

My mother passed at the age of 94, we took her with us on a lot of trips.  I feel that this was the  best  time with my mother.  We took her to Dollywood, to the beach and some just camping trips near where she lived as a child.  My first thoughts are that a class C may be to small for 4 people.  Before you take your big trip, I would suggest that  you take a few weekend trips with everyone and get a feel for what it will be like traveling and living in a small space.

Even if she doesn't use supplemental oxygen on a regular basis, it would be best to have some available when you are at higher elevations than she is used to. My MIL's doctor recommended that, and she felt much better when she finally decided he was a smart man and put it on! She lived at 600', and we lived at 6000', and that didn't even count the passes while traveling. Also don't let her walk around while traveling. If she needs the restroom or a snack, pull over. You don't want her to fall.

At your mom's age, and being "frail" and with a heart condition, consider carefully how the altitude in many western areas would affect her. Few places in Colorado are below 5,000 feet, and most roads through the mountains go over 9,000 feet, some as high as 11,000. On warm days it's not uncommon for the density altitude (how thin the air is compared to 60? air at sea level) is often near 9,000 feet at an actual elevation of 5,000 feet.

But if that's not a concern, she'll still need to minimize exertion when here -- remember it takes at least a couple of weeks to become accustomed to the altitude, even for folks without her age and frailty.

All that being said, there's a lot of gorgeous things to see here, even without much walking.

As to Yellowstone, and Wyoming for that matter, the altitude problem is similar. Do be aware that a very large percentage of the Yellowstone Park is out of reach for cell phones (no service), and it's a huge park. Traffic can cause slowdowns at times (I've seen it take over an hour to get a couple of miles in a "buffalo jam"). So don't count on getting to medical facilities quickly, should the need arise.

Are you going to tow a car with you? I ask because even the smaller RVs will have trouble finding a parking place at a lot of the sights in the Park, though some do have adequate parking for most class Cs, provided the cars haven't filled up the RV spaces, too.

Remember that in most western mountain (and often desert, too) areas, the thinner air and lower humidity allow it to cool off at night much more than tends to be the case in the east, and weather can change very quickly, so even a 90? high for the day might see the low at night down to 55? to 60?, perhaps an even greater change if a cold front comes through. In other words, be sure to have coats for (especially in higher areas) 35? to 40? on occasion.

Humidity is another thing to note, since it's not uncommon on a summer day to see humidity as low as 10%, which will dry the skin very quickly. As I age (I'm 74) I note many itchy areas that didn't use to be a problem, so be prepared for that, too. Speaking of dry, be sure that ALL of you drink lots of water when you're out here, even if you're not thirsty -- dehydration is a common problem in dry country, exacerbated by altitude, as well as the low humidity.

Hope this helps...

Climbing in and out of the coach may be taxing for her, but I don't have any good ideas about how to help very much with that. Adding a fold-out hand rail (grab bar) at the entry door might be wise. Here's one type:
http://www.campingworld.com/category/hand-rails/1366

An extra step might help too, depending on how high the standard entry step is. Here's an example:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/aluminum-folding-step/38293

Do you have a defibrillator - you know, the unit that charges up, to shock the heart, to start again?
Better to have one and not need it vs. the other way around.

You might take extra cushions for her to sit on as I would assume she is not use to the bumpy ride that most motorhomes give. 

Have you talked to her Doctor and asked their advice?  Any special meds for travel?

I agree with all the other points.  Doing some test rides might tell you if she is even up to a trip with you.
IF the test rides don't go well - you have to be wise enough to say she can't go.  Sometimes hard decisions have to be made
for the safety of others no matter how much they want something.  If she does pass the test ride - great - just remember that there
might be good days and bad days - Don't we all have them from time to time - maybe more so as we age? 

Good luck - and lets us know how your trip goes with or without her along.

We were able to take my Mother and Jerry's father with us on some trips and we all loved it.  Mother was almost 90 on her last trip with us.  The idea of a test trip is good because there are many things that could cause discomfort.  Some, like the steps in and out of the RV, have already been mentioned.  Mother loved to sit on the sofa with her feet facing forward and enjoy the views left, ahead, and right from her perch.  Yes, we belted her in to make sure she wouldn't go flying in a sudden maneuver.  She wasn't so fond of the front passenger seat because she wasn't used to being in front of the wheels.  Where will your mother sit while traveling?  Where will your mother sleep?  Some RV sofas aren't very comfortable and some are too short for a taller person.  In our last motorhome trip with her Mother finally decided she preferred sleeping with the sofa closed instead of open because of the "fold" it had when opened out.  By then she was short enough that she could fit length-wise on the sofa.  The statement about walking around is VERY important as we learned.  On one of our trips when she was younger Mother got out of her chair to go to the bathroom.  She didn't tell us until after the trip that she lost her balance and fell into the shower.  Luckily it was stacked up with some "stuff" she fell into so she didn't get hurt but that taught us a really good lesson to always pull over when she needed to get unbuckled.

Those trips are wonderful memories for us and I hope you'll be able to make some good memories with your mother.  If a longer trip doesn't seem feasible, then perhaps you can find some closer to home that will still give her that sense of exploration she has expressed.  Good luck!

ArdraF

Thank you all! Great information and ideas. 
As far as a class C maybe being too small, I get your point, but when growing up the family car was a heavily used ex-police car with minimal comforts, so we?re grateful for anything.
Trying some test trips another good tip.
I hadn?t thought about the altitude- great point- Oxygen a great idea- her lungs are OK but the altitude will stress her heart a bit more and she may feel it in the lungs as well.  Dehydration also good to keep in mind.
Am not towing this trip - wanted to just try it out without extra load/complexity.
Folding hand rail/ extra step great? also extra cushions!
Defibrillator ?another great idea.
Even though a medical person,  I didn't think of this stuff.  Thanks again!