GPS devices on cruise ships

[Elaine5715]

I like the idea of bringing an aide for your husband (and your own sake as well). The way it could work could be something like this:

 

Bring a preferably MALE aide if possible. This will allow the aide to enter public washrooms easily if needed. However, a female aide is not a deal breaker, especially if they have related experience, but a male who your husband still knows and respects is probably best.

 

This is a "working" cruise for the aide. They get their OWN cabin (to allow for separation during off-duty times; inside is fine) near your own. You pay the airfare, cabin, tips, travel health insurance, and other mandatory expenses including excursions if the aide is expected to come along. Provide a bit of OBC if desired as well. In addition to covering expenses, also pay the aide a wage. Maybe the aide is even allowed to bring a guest to share the cabin. (Or you can have 2 aides who share the one cabin). If bringing a guest, you are under no obligation to pay any of the expenses of the guest other than I would say cabin, tips, and taxes.

 

Have a clear schedule drawn up ahead of time as to when the companion is expected to be with your husband (and the guest, if applicable, is somewhere else). 24/7 someone, either you or the aide, needs to be with your husband.

 

As an example of the schedule, perhaps the aide has your husband from 1300 until 1700 on sea days, and as well will be required to be with you and your husband in the ports and excursions on the port days. I would not go into the ports without the aide myself.

 

This can make temporary split ups much easier (say you need to go to the washroom, the aide stays with your husband, and vice-versa). This is also where a male aid will be very useful, he can escort your husband into the washroom and make sure he doesn't slip away. If both the aide and your husband need the washroom, the aide should wait until your husband is done and "returned" to you before taking care of his own needs.

 

If your husband gets lost, one of you can search for him, the other can hug a tree. This is where GPS tracking may still be useful -- while you are in port. Not on the ship, but no reason it can't work in port. The tree hugger can even monitor the GPS tracker and relay the information to the searcher.

 

Don't try to do it all yourself, you need "Cruising Rosie" time as well. While you are doing something you want to do, the aide can be with your husband doing something he enjoys.

 

If your husband is subject to leaving the room and wandering, I would definitely have 2 aides, one of whom is on "Night Shift" duty with no duties during the day - they can then sleep in an interior room during the day. Would have to make sure the cabin stewart is aware of that and make other arrangements for them to do their job.

 

When you are the one with your husband (on the ship), the aide is "off duty" and can enjoy the ship and/or port. You would also need agreement over the consumption of alcohol by the aide. Some people who bring aides aboard (for dementia or childcare) prohibit alcohol consumption by the aide for that week, others limit it, but I don't think ANYONE would get the unlimited alcohol package for their employee.

 

If you bring 2 aides make sure the schedule is specific about which one is on duty. Don't leave any room for "I thought s/he had him".

 

Big thing to keep in mind that while your husband may not CURRENTLY need this level of supervision, by the time the cruise actually comes up, he might. Better to plan for the worst and have an aide that you don't really need, then get to a point where you have to cancel the cruise after final payment, or worse yet, go on the cruise and find out you can't do it alone.

 

Wishing you the best of luck on this.

Excellent details! I get on a soapbox when people suggest personal care aides are "on vacation" when traveling with a client.

[Geldhart]

I'm not sure cruise lines want to set themselves up as "electronic babysitters". That's why they require anyone who needs assistance for "normal" life has to bring their own.

 

Exactly. They don't want to assume that kind of liability if there is a malfunction of the system, or more likely, user error (ie the trackee isn't wearing the pendant).

 

 

 

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