ByRonan O’Connell
Published January 12, 2024
Scott Cooper’s memories fade all too quickly, yet the 66-year-old Australian still travels the world in defiance of his dementia. He and his wife Jill visit their daughter in Canada twice a year, and regularly explore Australia. His home country is one of the few destinations starting to cater to tourists with dementia, which affects recall, thinking, and behavior.
Cooper says tourism gives him the “opportunity to continue to enjoy life.”
“Traveling can be stressful at times but it can also be stimulating by enjoying new experiences,” he says. “It takes a lot of energy, so it helps me be active in both mind and body.”
Scientists predict that by 2050, about 153 million people worldwide will have dementia. This group of neurological diseases, which most commonly affects the elderly, can cause memory loss, confusion, depression, apathy, and mood swings. Widely prescribed treatments for dementia include socializing, physical exercise, staying mentally active, and getting vitamin D from exposure to the sun.
After a recent study that involved interviewing more than a hundred people with dementia in China, academics from Australia and China claim travel can aid people with dementia, by providing cognitive and sensory stimulation from new sights, smells, tastes, and social encounters.
Yet most tourist destinations ignore the needs of visitors with dementia, aged care experts say. This is slowly changing in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where guides for dementia-friendly travel are published, and tourists with dementia can enjoy attractions and activities designed for them, from cafés to sensory trails and art workshops.
How travel helps people with dementia
“All tourism experiences offer elements of anticipation and planning, both of which stimulate brain function,” says Jun Wen, tourism lecturer at Edith Cowan University and one of the researchers of the recent study. “Exercise is often an important component of tourism experiences, and it is frequently included in dementia intervention plans.”
Travel also can aid people with these conditions to grow confidence, trigger memories, and build independence, says Warren Harding, professor in dementia care at Australia’s Macquarie University. “Tourism offers a promising adjunct to non-pharmacological interventions,” he says. “It is not a treatment, but it can provide significant emotional and social benefits.”
Harding speaks from experience, having done many trips alongside his late mother while she had dementia. By carefully planning their travel, he was able to reduce her stress and anxiety. He scheduled outings during his mother’s most alert period of the day; kept meal, sleep, and medication times in sync with her home routine; and ensured she carried ID and details of their accommodation in case they got separated. “Afterward we were able to share [travel] photos and stories which supported reminiscing,” Harding says.
(When you can’t travel, video games are windows to the world.)
Dementia-friendly travel experiences
In Western Australia, more than 20 venues hold “memory café” events, where people with dementia socialize over morning tea. In Sydney, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia offers classes during which educators discuss the meaning of specific artworks with participants, who are then given materials to create their own pieces at home.
Australia’s first dementia-friendly sensory trail opened in 2021 in Woowookarung Regional Park, near Melbourne. Woven through verdant forest that is home to kangaroos and wallabies, this 0.6-mile trail was designed by the Victorian State Government, with input from people who have dementia and their caregivers. Accessible for wheelchairs and assistance dogs, it has nine stops. They include several communal meeting places, where visitors can gather to listen to music and share stories and impressions of the landscape.
This trail can “evoke positive memories, feelings, and sensations,” says Maree McCabe, CEO of Dementia Australia. “The project aims to create a safe space for people living with dementia, as well as creating a blueprint for how other communities could establish similar trails.”
(Learn how U.S. parks and public lands are becoming more autism-friendly.)
In the U.K., a 30-page Dementia-Friendly Tourism Guide is now published by government bodies Visit England and Visit Scotland. It explains how tourism businesses can improve services for customers with dementia, such as by offering accessible toilets, clear signage, discounts for caregivers, and directories of suitable local attractions.
Similar guides are produced by Dementia Australia, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, and the Alzheimer’s Association in the U.S. Meanwhile, a growing number of tourist attractions in those countries are following suit. New York’s Museum of Modern Art has educators who lead visitors with dementia through art appreciation lessons.
More than a dozen museums, galleries, and nature centers across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Tennessee, and Colorado have joined the Spark! cultural program, which provides workshops for people with dementia.
(Here’s how travel is becoming more inclusive.)
England’s National Museums Liverpool also has diverse services for these visitors. They include guided “memory walk” tours through the city’s historic sites, group reminiscence sessions, and activities for children and their grandparents.
In years to come, aged care experts hope people like Scott and Jill Cooper can holiday with greater ease, creating memories from travel, no matter how long they last.
Ronan O’Connell is an Australian travel journalist and photographer with 20 years’ experience.
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