Addressing Senior Travelers’ Top Health Concerns Leads to a Better Guest Experience
Senior travelers constitute a large segment of total travelers, and they continue to increase in number. How can we deal with their needs, and improve travelers' experience in a safe environment without stress or worries about perceived health threats for senior travelers?
Many of them have chronic diseases and they can benefit from preventive measures before their scheduled travel to have adequate hydration, use compression stockings when possible during long-distance travel to avoid blood clots most commonly in the legs ( known as deep venous thrombosis or DVT), especially to those who are prone to develop clots (i.e. varicose veins, obesity, prior blood clots), use of protective face mask in crowded conditions and influenza vaccination. By the same token, having immediate access to medical help through on-site clinics in Hotels, Resorts, and Spas, during big conferences and road shows would be a great service to travelers.
Those senior travelers with weak immune systems due to chronic diseases such as diabetes, immune suppressive therapy ( with steroids) , cancer therapy, emphysema ( Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or COPD especially when high altitudes mountain travel, would certainly benefit from pre-travel evaluation with adjustment of their medications, and if needed, get vaccinated, be educated on how to check Oxygen levels as some of them would need a portable Oxygen tank to avoid low Oxygen levels that can occur in cases of Congestive Heart Failure or COPD or other lung diseases for example.
Seniors' quality of life, including activities such as travel, is important to their overall physical, psychological, and mental well-being. Older travelers are at higher risk of travel-associated morbidity and mortality compared to young travelers. Thus, the emphasis is on delivering extra care to them and addressing their concerns and perceived health threats during travel.
It has been estimated between 30-50% of international travelers from different age groups will seek medical advice or suffer an accidental injury during their trip! Hotels are still the most popular accommodation choice, followed by cruise ships. Most of the travelers report taking their prescribed medications with them with antihypertensive medications (blood pressure control medications) being the most frequently reported in the elderly population followed by Cardiovascular (heart disease medications) , then diabetes medications. Fortunately, the burden of psychiatric illness among elderly travelers is very low!
Blood thinners (known as Anticoagulants) such as Coumadin would need their level checked before travel to ensure a therapeutic range as if the level is high, will cause people to bleed and if the level of blood thinners is low (subtherapeutic) , that will lead to blood clots. The test to check the level of blood thinning in the case of Coumadin is called International Randomized Ratio) or INR for short. INR levels are standardized globally for the same purpose of ensuring a goal of having a (Therapeutic INR level based on the indication). There are now a number of newer blood thinners called (Direct Anticoagulants) such as Eliquis and Xalerto for examples used most in cases of a very common heart rhythm abnormality in the elderly called atrial fibrillation which can cause strokes. Those newer classes of blood thinners are adjusted once to the level of kidney function but still everybody who is taking blood thinner should be monitored for bleeding.
Traveling to developing countries would increase the possibility of having E. coli diarrhea and malaria, Part of the prevention advice for older travelers is having family or friends travel along as friendship will boost a sense of well-being, and self-confidence and help to coup up with challenging times such as pandemics, serious injury or even a death of a loved one!
Thus, innovative approaches to help older travelers prepare for their journey success, by getting a health check pre-travel, learning how to avoid illness, emergency room visits or even the need for hospitalization. Those pre-travel health checks could be helped by earlier health checks, reduce travel burden by using Telehealth/virtual visits, and facilitate more walkable communities. Safety concerns for elderly travelers have sharply increased after the COVID-19 pandemic as more folks are being educated and prepared to have safe travel. Having the additional advantage of onsite clinics such as ProntoCare in Hotels, Resorts, and Spas would add to the immediate help if needed and provide peace of mind to travelers which would significantly enhance their experience!
