by Flying Angels Editorial Team | News & Resources
It’s important to make air travel for seniors as safe and as comfortable as possible. Some of the best tips include requesting a wheelchair, asking for special screening procedures, carrying all-important medications on the plane, protecting against checkpoint theft and getting the best available seats for seniors.
All these tips make air travel for seniors that much better. The key for seniors is to plan ahead or hire a non-emergency medical transport company that handles these issues. A flight nurse who specializes in patient advocacy can assist passengers in making all the below senior air travel arrangements.
Request a Wheelchair
For some seniors, it’s difficult to walk from the curb to the gate. Many seniors experience problems with their hips and feet. They may also have respiratory issues that hinder the ability to walk very far. This is one of the most common issues in air travel for seniors. All airports provide wheelchairs for those who request them, which can be done in advance or when you arrive. You may also bring your own wheelchair, which airline employees will store during the flight.
Ask For Special Screening Procedures
The federal Transportation Safety Agency (TSA), which oversees airport security in the U.S., offers special security check procedures for those older than 75 or traveling with a disability. Please note that if you have a wearable medical device or use medical equipment (such as a respirator), the TSA will apply extra screening tests, such as testing for traces of explosives. Another smart move is to register with TSA Pre-Check. Also, always strive to arrive early.
Carry All Important Medications On The Plane
Like passengers of all ages, seniors should never put important medicine into checked luggage. That can become a serious issue if the luggage is lost. Seniors should place medications in a handbag or whatever is the most comfortable for them to carry. Make sure it is a size that can slide under the seat in front of you. That way, you can handle it yourself and not need help putting the bag in an overhead bin.
Protect Against Checkpoint Theft
This
is another issue that applies to everyone. However, thieves may see seniors as
easier victims. The important issue here is to maintain eye contact with your
items as much as possible, or have someone there that can do it for you. For
example, try to go through security at the same time your bags go through. The
longer your items sit on the other end of the baggage belt with no one watching
them, the easier it is for a thief to take something from them.
Best Available Seats For Seniors
Most seniors prefer getting seated at or near the front of the plane, which provides more legroom and a shorter walk to the restroom. This is something to mention when buying the tickets. A flight coordinator also can arrange this with the airlines by contacting them in advance. Senior air travel is an important issue as the population of the country ages and more people want to travel. It’s important to know you are not alone and that support is available to make air travel for seniors something to enjoy, not dread.
by Flying Angels Editorial Team | News & Resources
Critical care travel involves having medical personnel on hand when you make a trip. It can include air ambulances used for emergency transport and non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) for travelers who want the security of having a nurse with them during a flight.
It’s an increasingly popular option to use critical care travel while making a long trip by plane for a vacation or to visit a specialist doctor. Having a travel nurse along for a trip ensures that a patient’s health is in good hands.
Who Uses Critical
Travel Care?
Critical care travel is something used by those who suffer from a chronic illness or those who have been injured. In either case, they may have difficulty with their mobility. A travel nurse (sometimes called a flight nurse) offers support by helping patients with their travel arrangements, moving through often congested airports and getting onboard the plane.
They also ensure that the patient has all the
medicine they need, as well as any important medical devices. Travel nurses are
trained in critical care travel and understanding the variables created by
treating someone while thousands of feet in the air.
NEMT is an air ambulance alternative. It’s helpful to know the differences. An air ambulance is
typically staffed by emergency medical personnel and used to transport people
from the site of an accident or natural disaster to the nearest medical
facility.
This is a far cry from NEMT and critical care travel.
The Advantages of
Critical Travel Care
There are many advantages for those who choose to use these kinds of services. Using Flying Angels’ service as an example, these are some of the factors that lead people to hire critical care nurses.
- NEMT service is available for trips on commercial airlines anywhere in the world
- A flight coordinator handles all the reservations for your trip
- An experienced flight nurse accompanies you on your trip, ensuring your health and safety
- Flight nurses have years of experience in emergency room settings and are schooled in the details of providing in-flight medical care
There also are many advantages for NEMT as an alternative to air ambulances. Because you can get NEMT services on a commercial flight, you can also avoid the high costs of using a private flight. Also, everything is planned in advance, from dealing with items such as wheelchairs to coordination of the boarding process. Critical care travel with a travel nurse is a smart way to get the care you need while you travel. When looking for alternatives to an air ambulance, it’s an option worth considering.
by Flying Angels Editorial Team | News & Resources
Both medical transport and emergency transport involve getting people from one location to another. Emergency transport typically is used to get a patient to a hospital quickly. Medical transport involves moving someone who needs or wants medical care during the journey.
The main difference is the situation. Those in emergency transport need to arrive at a treatment facility as fast as possible. Those who get medical transport are not usually in a hurry. They may even be on vacation. But they have medical personnel with them to ensure their medical needs are taken care of during the trip.
Reasons for
Emergency Transport
If you ever are in a situation where you must
dial 9-1-1, the people who arrive work in emergency transport. Typically, they
use an ambulance or helicopter. What is sent depends on your medical condition
or injury. Emergency personnel will send whatever vehicle they think has the best
chance of keeping you alive until you reach the hospital.
The staff involved with emergency transport includes emergency medical technicians (EMT) and paramedics who can assess your condition and perform the necessary medical procedures to keep you stable until you reach the hospital.
They are experts at first-aid treatment and life
support care. They report what they have seen to doctors and nurses at the
hospital once they arrive.
Reasons for Medical
Transport
Many who are interested in medical transport may not know that the nurses who travel with patients have training and experience in emergency medicine – at least, that is the case with Flying Angels.
Medical transport, sometimes called non-emergency medical transport (NEMT), can be used for many reasons. They typically involve air travel. Situations that could involve medical transport include:
- Traveling to see a specialist in another city
- Grandparents on a vacation to see loved ones
- Elderly parents moving to a new home
- Someone who has suffered an injury but who must travel
- Someone with a chronic medical condition
- Someone who has experienced a medical emergency in
another country and is trying to get home
In any of those situations, people can hire a service that provides a flight nurse who will travel with them. The experienced nurse manages all the medical equipment needed to handle any situation, as well as manage the patient’s medication. They also have training on providing medical care at high altitudes.
Additionally, the company handles all the travel arrangements for clients and guides them through all the processes within the airport. Those are the primary differences between emergency transport and medical transport. Here’s hoping you never need either, but if you need the latter, you at least know that help is there when you need it.
by Flying Angels Editorial Team | News & Resources
The idea of patient advocacy has been around for many years. In the past, a patient advocate usually meant a member of the family, a good friend or perhaps a clergyman or pastor.
The idea is to have a person who advocates on your behalf with doctors, nurses and other medical staff.
Family members, friends and others can still fulfill this role. However, it long ago became a position held by many medical professionals.
Get Help Leaving the Hospital After Discharge
What Does A Patient Advocate Do
Most associate professional patient advocates with hospital stays. Advocates in those positions do offer a good example of the fundamental services that an advocate provides for a patient.
For example, they closely monitor the patient’s well-being, both physical and emotional, and give them an opportunity to discuss those issues. A patient advocate acts as a liaison between the patient and medical staff.
In general, they help cut through red tape and get patients what they need. They act as a supporter, promoter and spokesperson. It’s a key position to help people get better medical care, and it leads to better patient outcomes.
In Medical Transport
Patient advocates also play a role in medical transport. Usually the job is much more broad and complex than those who work in hospitals.
In medical transport, the patient advocate is a flight nurse, such as those on staff with Flying Angels. They are trained in emergency room work. They know how to handle medical treatment, even at 35,000 feet. They also play a key role as an advocate.
Medical Transportation Options Explained
A flight nurse works with disabled patients, ensuring they have adequate transport to and from the airport. In the airport itself, they make sure that patients have the services they need to make them as comfortable as possible through the boarding procedure.
During the flight, the patient advocate works with the flight crew. They make sure patients have the space they need. They also carry the medications they need and work with the flight crew for anything additional they might require in flight.
They are by the patient’s side throughout the entire experience. And because of their training and experience, they make the entire process that much easier for patients as well as their family.
Flight Nurse Duties On A Commercial Airline
Why You Need One
As the above shows, having a patient advocate provides a great deal of comfort for those who feel they will need assistance while flying.
This can include those flying for medical treatment in a faraway city. But it also includes those who simply are traveling for a fun vacation or to visit family. If they feel they will need assistance, a patient advocate is the perfect solution to their needs and a Flight Coordinator can help organize all your travel arrangements in advance.
How Does a Flight Coordinator Help?
by Flying Angels Editorial Team | News & Resources
Those who have become a medical escort take on a job that comes with many responsibilities and a great deal of pressure. But for those with the proper training and right kind of experience and personality, it’s a rewarding field to enter.
What Does a Medical Escort Do?
Medical escorts are highly trained, experienced nurses who travel with patients, typically on a commercial flight. In the case of Flying Angels, which specializes in medical transport, all flight nurses have years of experience working in emergency rooms and acute care.
Medical escorts can also work for emergency services. For example, they accompany people from the scene of an accident or a natural disaster, ensuring they remain stable until arriving at a hospital. But, typically, most medical escorts work in the non-emergency medical transport field.
In either case, the job can be daunting, as medical escorts typically travel alone with a sick or injured patient at 35,000 feet.
Job Duties of Medical Escorts
A medical escort’s job is complex. In a non-emergency situation, they may travel with patients from their home to the airport. They then stay with them as they get through the airport to their gate, working with airport staff to make the journey as easy as possible. That includes issues such as early boarding and access to comfortable lounges if a long wait is required. They also assist in disembarking from the plane when they arrive at their destination.
The most critical component of the job is during air travel. Here, medical escorts take on the sole responsibility of monitoring and maintaining their patient’s health. They manage the administration of any medications and assist patients with issues such as eating or going to the bathroom.
All this requires experience and skill in handling any medical situation or emergency that may arise. They also must have expertise in providing medical care at high altitudes and carry whatever medical equipment and medication a patient might need as they fly.
Education Needed for Medical Escorts
Medical escorts are expected to have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Such programs include coursework in physical and social sciences, as well as critical thinking and communication. Medical escorts also must have the leadership abilities to take charge and manage the patient’s situation throughout the travel process.
All medical escorts must have Registered nursing (RN) license to practice.
There also are certificates that can be earned to demonstrate the knowledge and skill needed to work as a medical escort. For example, medical escorts can earn a Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) designation from the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. The Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association offers guidance in earning certification and other issues surrounding medical escorts.
Experience is the Key
For medical escorts, the real key to success is both the education and certifications listed above, as well as a wealth of experience.
Typically, a medical escort requires at least three years of experience working in an intensive care unit or emergency room. In the case of Flying Angels, five years of experience are required.
Such experience is necessary to become a qualified, trusted medical escort. Nurses who work in acute care learn critical thinking skills, how to handle many patients, improve their triage skills and hone their ability to make good assessments and decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Becoming a medical escort is both a challenging and rewarding experience. It’s the perfect job for trained experts who want to use their professional talents to provide medical assistance and support for those who need it when traveling.
