A family reunion in Hawaii. A visit to a small ancestral village in Spain. These trips should include the keepers of family history – grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other special family members. But how can you make long-distance travel more comfortable for older loved ones? A medical escort for senior travelers is a great option — and one you may not know about.
Medical escorts are medical professionals who travel with patients who need assistance while in transit. The medical escorts employed by SentinelMED are physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses who are trained or experienced in emergency and travel medicine. Patients are paired with a medical escort based on the patient’s health or medical needs, native language, and any cultural concerns.
Here are a few examples of how medical escorts provide care and support for senior travelers.
Assistance with mobility. A medical escort’s top concerns are the comfort and safety of a patient. They learn about the traveler’s needs before meeting them at the airport, hospital, or home. They can assist the traveler with mobility aids, including wheelchairs, accompany the traveler through TSA screening, assist with boarding and luggage, and advocate for accommodations, such as priority boarding, on the traveler’s behalf.
Administering medication or supplemental oxygen. SentinelMED’s logistics team will work with travelers and their families to make sure that they have the medicine, written prescriptions for medicines, and letters of medical necessity for travel if needed. Medical escorts can also administer supplemental oxygen if prescribed by a doctor.
Monitoring vital signs. SentinelMED's escorts can also check vital signs. This includes monitoring the traveler's blood pressure, pulse, and blood oxygen levels at the airport, during the flight, and once the traveler arrives at their destination.
Encouraging movement on long plane flights. The risk of developing blood clots during a long flight increases after age 40, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other risk factors include obesity and having varicose veins. A medical escort can help position the traveler and work with them to move their legs as a precaution against blood clots.
Providing reassurance and support. For travelers who are cognitively impaired, a medical escort can help manage the stress of travel, unfamiliar environments, and changes in routine. The medical escort can also communicate directly with airport or airline representatives about the traveler's needs so misunderstandings are minimized.
SentinelMED can support senior citizens who need to travel long distances for a medical procedure but don't have a friend or family member to travel with them. Our medical escorts can accompany patients to and from a medical facility for treatment or provide care only for the trip home.
More About SentinelMED
Coordinating medical escorts for senior travelers is just one of many medical travel assistance services offered by SentinelMED. Other solutions provided by SentinelMED include medical transport and medical repatriation, which are available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
In addition to coordinating medical escort services, our logistics specialists can arrange door-to-door care and transportation from discharge at a hospital or medical facility to a receiving health care facility or family member. We can also support senior citizens who need to travel long distances for a medical procedure but don't have a friend or family member to accompany them.
The SentinelMED team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about the services that SentinelMED offers or its staff.
