Travel w/ Senior Citizens in Rajasthan : please advise

Khandoma

Namaste !
In Feb - March 2008, I'll be taking my parents to Rajasthan for 3 weeks. They are senior citizens, both in their 70's. It will be their first time in India (and in Asia for that matter). I would be grateful if travellers in the same age bracket or thereabouts, and knowledgeable travellers of any age, could share their experience and suggest some helpful tips.

My parents have specific needs :
My mom has a serious leg problem. She can walk, but stairs are a problem, and temple stairs are definitely out.
My dad has hearing problems (wears an apparatus in one ear). When ambient sound level gets high, such as when there's music in a restaurant or noisy table neighbours, he can't hear much of anything.

Obviously we'll be travelling the soft way : airplanes, car rental, day trains only, middle- to high-end hotels. We'll be avoiding the hotter hours of the day, be mindful about the food, wear hats etc.

My questions so far - I'll number them so you can answer easily:

1. Preparation. As neither of them gets any kind of physical exercise at all, I'm going to recomment that they start taking a short walk a day, and that they try to make the walk a little longer every week or so. I'd like them to swim a bit, but there's just no way my mom will go to a public swimming pool, and Paris (France) is not exactly on the seaside. Any other exercise or physical preparation you would recommend ?

2. Temples. I do want them to see one or more temples, obviously. I remember some of the higher and more important temples offer high chairs carried by porters. Never thought I'd ask about this - but, per our itinerary below, is there any place that strikes you as offering such facilities ?

3. Eyeglasses. Anybody had their glasses replaced / copied in India ? How does one go about doing that - go to a hospital, locate an eye specialist... ? Is Mumbai the best place on our route to do that, or would Jaipur offer good facilities ? We would bring the prescription and social security forms, anything else we should know about ?

4. Gastric well-being. When in India, I took neem in capsules, worked wonders. Anybody remembers the commercial brand(s) under which neem is sold? Any counter-indications to have senior citizens take neem ? (Obviously we're bringing classic Imodium with us).

5. Ear thingy. If my dad's audio aid breaks down, any idea how easy it is to get a replacement, and again, where to go and what to bring along ?

6. Jaipur Movie Theater. I'm definitely taking them to a movie. Can't remember whether the largest theater in Jaipur (indeed, the largest in the world, to my knowledge) has a lot of steps to climb. Alternative suggestions perhaps ?

7. Temper. This is a question for the ayurvedic etc. gurus. My parents are serious contenders for the Bad Temper World Cup, primarily because they don't take well to relaxing. Suggestions for herbal teas, local plants etc that would ease their temper a bit ? (Legal products only, please ! )

8. Hotels. I want to be able to extend our stay for a day or more anywhere along the road, if my parents feel tired, or simply if we like the place. But the hotels we'll be staying in require reservations. What's your experience of cancelling / delaying hotel reservations by phone in Rajasthan, any specific problems ?

The skeleton of our itinerary so far :
Paris - Mumbai - Udaipur - Bundi - Jaipur - Bikaner - Jaisalmer (with stops in Sekhawati along the way) - (probably Jodhpur because closest airport to Jaisalmer) - Agra.
This is my "ideal" Rajasthan compacted for three slow weeks. I know it would be easier without Jaisalmer, but the city remains a magic highlight of my previous trip and I can't see my folks missing it any more than the Taj Mahal. Also, I picked Mumbai over Delhi as I think it'll be an easier place for a first contact and (apologies to the Delhi-wallahs on IM) nicer for them to relax in before the plane home. Wrongy ?

Many thanks for any advice you can give me !

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Khandoma
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tacita

'fraid i have only a small bit to offer...
regarding the accessibility of sites, you may wish to contact a travel organization or tour company that specializes in trips for people with mobility impairments. they may be able to help you identify in advance which sites poses more access challenges or offer alternative access, e.g., ramps.
as an apparatus/"thingy" wearer myself, i know from whence he speaks. very frustrating, isolating, and infantilizing for an adult. like most people with hearing impairments, he likely finds it even more difficult to understand accented english. when i travel, i usually haven't the foggiest idea what anyone is saying and, instead, negotiate my way through visual and environmental cues/clues. notably, i travel alone, and seem to have survived the ordeals, but it can be exceedingly stressful at times. however, if you will be with your parents the entire time, it will be merely frustrating for him, rather than dangerous or fatal to the trip.

as for what to bring, again, depending on how much of the time you will be together or if he may be alone, for example, for a nap, he may want to bring a vibrating travel alarm. mine is smaller than a deck of cards, but i am also completely deaf without my "thingy".

i was concerned about mechanical malfunctions in india and so contacted my cochlear implant manufacturer here in the states to make sure i had the correct "800" numbers and knew at least where to begin if i lost it. i always have a back-up processor, but people don't usually have back-up hearing aids. by all means, if he does, perhaps an old, outdated one, he should bring it as a "plan B". he should also bring plenty of spare hearing aid batteries. they are available, but the last thing you want to do is lose time tracking down the right size. lastly, because of the humidity, he will want to have some sort of drying mechanism to put his aid in at night. this is usually something like silica gel that can be put in a small airtight container with the aid.

the one time i did not bring a back up was, naturally, the first time my processor went on the blink. unable to resolve things from barbados on a friday afternoon, i spent the last three days of my trip completely deaf. other than when scuba-diving, no fun at all!

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Khandoma

Superb advice, thanks a lot Janice !
All of this is extremely precious - vibrating clock, silicagel, hearing aid manufacturer... Going down my to-do list immediately.

Thanks very much for sharing your experience. More power to you for travelling solo in what I know to be very frustrating and confusing conditions. (Loved your remark about scuba diving though). Btw, I'll be with my parents the whole time, make things easy for them as much as I can. But as you pointed out, Murphy's law says the one thing you don't plan for is the one problem that will arise. So I'm probably over-preparing, and happy to do so.

Let me ask you one more question then, on the hearing issue. Did you ever attend a "puja", a religious celebration, and if so, did you enjoy it, soundwise ? Or was the ambient noise just overwhelming ? Any other experiences that were spoiled for you because of the noise ?

Many thanks !

tacita

well, then, gratitude for your gratitude!

as for "puja", in a manner of speaking, yes. i've been to india only once, to sikkim and west bengal, via delhi. i attended the tibetan buddhist "chaams" dances at rumtek monastery, as well as some pretty noisy and crowded events in darjeeling and kolkata. cochlear implants and hearing aids do not process sound in the same way. hearing aids amplify sound; cochlear implants replicate it. so, if there is music, your dad will likely be able to appreciate it if it's not being drowned out by other sources. i was able to appreciate the "music" (mostly drums) for the chaams, but that was because it wasn't melodious--CI's can't accurately perceive pitch.

ok, music issues aside, i was often completely overwhelmed by auditory stimuli. but, of course, india can cause all sorts of sensory overload for everyone. you should expect, however, that your dad may experience this to excess. also, if he is tired, as he surely will be, he won't hear as well generally.

your dad may feel more comfortable at some points just turning the sound off completely, as i sometimes do, even here at home. you might want to encourage him to do so, but then be extra patient with him, make more eye contact, touch his arm to get his attention before speaking, alert him to anticipated loud approaching noises. he will probably have a heightened "startle" reflex, though this can happen to travelers irrespective of whether they have a disability.

i'm sure you've learned how best to deal with your dad and his hearing impairment, as my family and friends have. but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly some people people can forget, expressing exasperation, which is hurtful. if you are extra calm and comforting (and i'm sure you are anyway), it will help immensely. the fact that you even posted your message suggest that you are deeply caring and sensitive to their needs--how fortunate they are!

hope this helps.

karuna

I'm another one with only a little to add:

I had a pair of glasses made up whilst in India. I just popped into an opticians and they were done by the next morning. The prescription is fine but the whole "unit" if you like is a bit shaky.

On a related note I took my parents to India in Feb, they're in their sixties. My dad is diabetic. We found it best with plenty of time- at least 2 nights in each place would have been perfect (we had one or two one night stops). They did a lot of sleeping in the car!
My dad actually had a nasty fall in Amritsar and people couldn't have been more helpful.

There are a couple of disability organisations working out of Delhi who might be able to help you with the steps issue. Accessible India might be a good place to start.
http://www.samarthyam.org/

tacita

one more comment, contemplating your question about things that can be "spoiled"...

what is "spoiled" for me when traveling is the relative lack of spontaneity and ability to engage in casual conversations. i love to strike up conversations with people, here at home and when i travel, on the street, on a bus, an elevator, the subway, in a queue. i still do this--it's like i keep forgetting i won't hear the reply! so bear in mind that simple negotiations over a small purchase, for example, will be much more highly charged for him that for you. i don't know how assertive he is, but you could remind him it's ok to tell people he can't hear well. there was virtually no one i encountered who wasn't kind to me and willing to accommodate my needs. (before i got my travel alarm, i actually had to have hotel staff come in and wake me in the mornings!) if people DON'T get it, i just turn up my hands and say "i'm deaf; you have to write it down." i've even missed a plane once because i didn't hear the boarding announcement.

another "spoiler" is when people with me make judgments about what i do and do not need to hear, repeating some things, but not others, or "waving" me quiet when i ask what's going on. as tiresome as it can get for those around me, i like to be kept in the loop, as i'm sure your dad does.

these additional thoughts, for what they're worth. feel free to PM me, too.

Khandoma

Janice : You bet it helps ! Precious info this is. Your precisions about CI vs. hearing aid are really helpful. And you make a very interesting point about heightened sensitivity. I'll sure bear that in mind.
I'm used to taking the precautions you're describing, had extensive training with my grandma (and am probably going down that route myself). You're right to emphasize them, the impairment is frustrating enough as it is. Again, thanks so much.

Karuna : Thanks very much for the website, am going to check it out right now ! Your advice about spending min. 2 nights in one place is definitely something I want to apply, allowing for buffer days and relaxing time after trips.
Re. eyeglasses, I was fearing as much. Where did you have them made ?
Also, about diabetes, what specific precautions did your dad take ? Specifically, whas ghee a problem?

tacita

hey, k, i just realized we might be in rajasthan at the same time. do keep us posted on your plans as they develop. i'm still all over the map...er...the subcontinent...with my own, but hope to pull off three weeks in february.

machadinha

Actually, I had me several of what I considered decent pairs made. It may help to know I don't really go by the latest fashions here.

Doing it myself I'd wait for some smaller not overvisited city. Service was surprisingly quick, same-day or next-day kind of thing.

Last time I send a recipe with some friends of mine, not being there myself at all. That pair came out surprisingly good, wore it for years I think.

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Rxrich

First of all congratulations to your parents for showing the willingness to travel to India.
I'm 77 years old and will be travelling to India this October and will be backpacing for about a month. I too have several medical conditions...Heart problems...I have a pacemaker...glaucoma etc. but I'm looking forward to my trip.
Prepearing them by walking is a good thing to do. Also, between now and the time you leave you may want to check out some of the cardio excercize programs at local hospitals...most of the programs are supervised and there is usually a nurse present...with doctors on call. I would consider that the best suggestion I can offer...some of the programs are even covered by health insurance.
As far as glasses go...take extra glasses...and also buy a few pair of reading glasses that you can pick up in many chain stores before you go.

Naturally, take all prescription medication and the actual written prescriptions (using generic names). I think you should be able to get some electrolyte packets in India to be used in the event of diarrhea or feeling extra tired...I would use the immodium only if absolutely necessary...this will give the condition ample time to be eliminated from the system. However, if you have a train to catch etc...by all means use the Immodium...but definitely get the electolytes to be dissolved in bottled water.
I think they should gradually step into Indian food...and not too highly spiced at first.
I would also suggest that for the month before leaving that they start on a regimen of Probiotic capsules so the GI tract will be fortified with the beneficial bacteria...and take some with you.
I will be taking my probiotic capsules with me (there are some that don't need refrigeration).
In addition I will be taking 100 my of Doxycycline 100 mg every night (prevents travellers diarrhea...and is an antimalarial to some degree)....and will keep some Cipro on hand. A small amount of Pepto bismol is a good thing to take each day.
I am also bringing a few small cans of tuna fish ( a brand that I like)to cover my lunches the first few days.
There is only so much you can do...and you cant anticipate everything...my advice would be to focus on the experience and not the possible disasters (but be prepared for them)...Just as an afterthought...you might want to go to a few Indian restaurants before you leave...
Hope this helps
Have a great trip!!!!
Richard

karuna

Hmmm...no, I think the ghee was OK. There was one particular day when his sugars were unusually high but I do believe that the night before he had succumbed to some kheer! Most days he was fine as long as he only ate lightly- fruit or nutrition bars- at lunchtime.

I did read somewhere that ghee isn't actually widely used, maybe someone else knows more?

I had the glasses made in Shimla. Actually I agree with machadinha about the fashion thing- in a mad fit of "ooh! cheap glasses!" I had a rimless pair made, which would have bankrupted me back home. So it's probably not surprising they're a bit rickety given a) delicate style and b) put together by hand!

wonderwomanusa

My experience is that it's hard to keep my blood sugar low enough in India; the meals are huge amounts of carbohydrates and sugars, and plenty of ghee (veg or cow -- makes no difference) ensures that the sugar stays in the blood for longer than usual.

Exercise helps, even brisk walking. And your folks should practice walking and, if possible, climbing stairs... so that they can at least handle one flight of stairs.

You might find this site, about diabetes in India, useful: http://www.diabetesindia.com/diabetes/reg_north_mon.htm

Oh -- what sort of diabetes medication does your father use? If he is using insulin, you'll want to get him a Frio wallet to keep it cool. This is the US English site, but you can switch to the French language area by clicking on the tricolor. http://www.frious.com/

Those Frio wallets are truly great for travellers; I took mine on a road trip to LA and Las Vegas last summer (surely it was as hot as India gets) and the insulin stayed at the right temperature all the way. And all you need for them is WATER!

jenk

I hope your parents understand what is involved in this trip and want to do it. It could be a very unpleasant experience for you and them otherwise. I do advise seeking advice from travel professionals since your mother is activity limited and some of your destinations (Bundi?) will probably be hard to see without some walking and climbing.

Khandoma

What a wealth of info in just one night ! (Paris time, obviously). You guys are wonderful. A few quick answers.

Janice : I'll sure let you know, soon as we fix the dates ! It would be very cool to hook up on the road. Great to know that you're going !

Machadinha : this is precious. Would have gone for a big city otherwise. And I hear what you're saying about fashion, not our primary concern here - though Karuna and my mom might have something in common, glasses-wise...

Karuna : It's good to know that you can go for elegant glasses. As for ghee, I sure don't know about other parts of India, but in Rajasthan it was all over the place. Had a travel companion for a couple of days there the last time, he couldn't eat any ghee, got uncomprehending looks from dhaba-wallahs and extra ghee for his pains. Also, I wanted to say thanks for the link to Samarthya, found a brochure there with details of a trip around India they arranged for a group in wheelchairs. Mountains of useful tips there. (PDF document at bottom of India page, for those interested).

Rxrich : thanks a lot for the sound advice. Cardio-training sounds an interesting path to investigate. So is the progressive food training - I actually cook Indian food (with whatever ingredients I can find in Paris, may not be 100% authentic but still tastes close to the real thing), so they'll indeed be getting more and more as the deadline approaches. I know you're right regarding gastro-intestinal comfort, but most of the preventive Western paraphernelia can be (and was, in my case) comfortably replaced with one capsule of neem (Indian plant) a day. In the case that would be advised against for senior travellers, then I'd switch to what you're describing - and I won't forget the electrolytes. My sincere congratulations at your going to backpack there for a month ! I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself immensely.

Wonderwomanusa : this is where I reach the limits of my medical information. My dad doesn't use insulin, but other than that, I'm not sure what type of medication he takes and need to investigate. Climbing stairs is definitely going to be part of the training ! Thanks for the great tips.

Jenk : you have a point there. I've been advocating Thailand as a much easier first contact with Asia. My mom won't hear of it, wants to see India "before she dies"... Actually Bundi doesn't worry me. I have kept friends there and they said they'll arrange to carry my mom up to the palace. The other wonderful places there, the cenotaph and the reservoir notably, can be accessed by rickshaw. For other places, I'm working my way through the brochure found on the Accessible India site advised by Karuna, lots of tips there ! If you know of other associations etc (not tour ops), please let me know.

Thank you all so much.

machadinha

Umm, yes, hola, there's nothing against big cities I think, they'll just likely be more costly (and may have the latest fashions), that's all. Competition may well work to your advantage though, it's always hard to say really. Bottom line: Don't go there without what you desperately need so you can check it out locally, but I figured you'd gotten as much by now.

Btw More importantly I think the above advice is most relevant, but it looks like you've got all the experience and have given it plenty of thought: In any case even just simple stuff like walking let alone crossing the street there may be rather involved. So I agree making sure your parents know what they're up against yes. You can read plenty a horrified story by a terrified 20-something here to gain some perspective (and always remembering that's their perspective )