10 Reasons to Use Air Companions

1. Your disabled elderly parent needs to fly across country and you are too busy with the husband, kids, job and other commitments to do it. Air Companions with treat your parent as if he or she was their parents.

2. You are divorced and your developmentally disabled grown child visits his/her other parent out of state. You and your ex need someone you can trust to accompany your special needs child throughout the trip.

3. You live alone and are struggling with a chronic illness and need to travel back and forth to a hospital for regular treatments. The treatments are exhausting and you are unable to drive yourself back and forth.

4. You or a loved one winters in the south each year. You need someone to accompany you/your loved one to your destination, drive the car, help get settled and fly home. That is one of Air Companions specialties!

5. You have always wanted to take a train across country but feel very vulnerable doing it alone. You would prefer to have someone with some medical training accompany you. Air Companions loves trains.

 

6. You have always wanted to go overseas but you are physically disabled in some way and your are afraid of flying and navigating the airports alone. Air Companions would love to accompany you.

7. You are getting married next year and are planning a huge wedding. Many people will need to fly to the island in Maine where your wedding is being held. It's the breath taking setting that you have been dreaming of your whole life. You so want your dear grandmother to be there. But she is wheelchair bound and suffers from mild dementia. She needs someone to help her get dressed every day and to make sure she takes her medications. She hasn't flown in years. But, it just wont be the same if Grammy isn't at your wedding. Air Companions to the rescue!

8. You would love to send your aging parents on a 2 week cruise somewhere warm in January after the holidays. But, they need someone to go along to help them out to make things easier and more fun. Air Companions has been on cruises and seen that many elderly people would have a better time if they had a travel companion with some limited medical skills.

9. You or a loved one struggles with mental illness and find that you need to travel for whatever reason. You have difficulty navigating your way through airports and feel afraid in big crowds of people. Air Companions can cut your stress level in half!

10. You have an elderly disabled loved on in a nursing home in another state and you want to bring that loved one to your state to live in a nursing home closer to you. Air Companions has done this sort of trip several times and it has always been a success. So the next time one of these scenarios comes up I hope you will think of Air Companions. Remember we are not just "your guardian angels in the air" We are "your guardian angels everywhere!"

We Are Cruising Out of Miami

This week we are enjoying tropical weather to beat mid-Winter blues with a cruise around the Caribbean.  The photo above was taken as we departed from Miami Beach.  What a breath-taking place.

How To Stay Healthy When Traveling?

So it seems like EVERYONE around you is sick this winter. How do you survive when traveling? Especially when all the usual suspects for sickness are present: stress, lapses in good eating habits, lack of time to exercise, lack of sleep and a veritable pantheon of sick people around you.  Here are some common sense tips to help you stay healthy.

1. Practice impeccable hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap and use a hand sanitizer. Check out this amazing DIY natural hand sanitizer recipe!

5-10 drops lavender oil

30 drops tea tree essential oil

1 tablespoon witch hazel

8 ounces 100% pure aloe vera gel

several drops of vitamin E oil (this is a natural preservative which will extend the shelf life of this sanitizer plus make your hands soft!)

Add the essential oils and vitamin E oil to a small glass bowl or container (mason jar works great) and swirl to mix. Add witch hazel and swirl again. Add this  mixture to the aloe vera gel and mix well. Remember to shake well each time.  If you’re not a fan of lavender you can use another antibacterial oil such as rosemary, sage, sandalwood or peppermint.  You can put this in clean 3-4 ounce pump bottles that had commercial hand sanitizer in it. You can get all these ingredients through: www.mountainroseherbs.com

Back to impeccable hygiene – that doorknob you touched may have been visited by someone who just hocked up half a lung into their hand! The primary gateway to disease is the holes in your head; stay away from them. Do not let your hands near your eyes or mouth. Do not inhale after someone has coughed in your face.

2. Get your rest. Sleep is extremely important especially during times of stress.  Rest allows your body to renew itself and the circadian rhythm to do it’s thing in healing and restoration.

3. Eat well. At least the best you can. Your body was designed to be a microbe killing machine. It manufactures antimicrobial agents daily given adequate raw materials. Where do they materials come from? Mostly fruits and veggies. If  you don’t think your eating well enough, consider supplementation.

4. Move your body. There is no doubt that our immune system responds positively to exercise. There are more than 800 studies that support this. I’m not talking about going crazy at the gym, which itself can be a breeding ground for germs. Try light workouts at home like a stationary bike, treadmill, Pilates, yoga, exercise ball, medicine balls mixing in some free weights.

5. Tip the scale in your favor with evidence-based supplements. Bridge the nutritional gaps with a good multivitamin and extra vitamin C. I make it my practice to take1,000 mg of vitamin C three times a day.  Also take vitamin D.  There are thousands of studies already and more are emerging in vitamin D’s effect on the immune system.  A recent Japanese study showed a 40% lower rate of children catching the flu when given 1200 iu of D daily. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of it, the killer cells of the immune system (T cells) will not be able to fight off infections in the body.

This blog is an abbreviated version originally posted by Nutrionist and Blogger Christine Wokowsky at My Complete Nutritionist.

Our Trip to England & Ireland

This time last year my husband and I left for a 2 week trip to Great Britain. It was my dream come true since I was a little girl. I have always been fascinated with England especially. We flew out of the airport in Owls Head, Maine as it is close to where we live and we didn't want to deal with long term parking in a bigger airport. We left in the afternoon of a very rainy day. In fact, the plane almost didn't fly. Thankfully, though, the plane did fly and we made it to the Logan Airport in Boston in the nick of time. We then boarded a jumbo jet that flew us overnight to Heathrow Airport in London, England. It was not a fun trip. I highly recommend flying first class if your plane is in the air for 4 or more hours. It is very uncomfortable trying to rest in, what I would call, a sardine can.

Heathrow Airport

By the time we arrived in England we were exhausted and grumpy. But, we had to forge ahead and find transportation to South Hampton where our 4 day cruise to Ireland was leaving from on that very day. After much ado we figured out we could take a bus right out of the airport to South Hampton. What a beautiful trip! We road from London all the way down to South Hampton where the Titanic sailed out of. We were very excited.

View of South Hampton from our balcony on the ship.

Once in South Hampton we hailed a taxi that took us directly to the ship and we boarded. Our room was awesome and we had a balcony. In fact, the entire ship was so beautiful and all encompassing; like a small city unto itself. Shortly after the ship was underway we grabbed something to eat and took a nap. We wanted to rest up for the big show the ship's crew was going to put on that evening. We weren't disappointed.

I think I will end part one right here and pick up part two when we arrive in Cork, Ireland. See you soon......

Air Companions makes the Bangor Daily News!

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/04/04/health/warren-woman-works-as-guardian-angel-of-the-air/

Click on the link above to read the article printed in the April 5, 2012 edition of the Bangor Daily News. Air Companions made the front page! Thank you Bangor Daily News.

Disaster Trip!

Have you ever been on a trip that turned into a disaster? I've been on a few like that. For instance, years ago when my children were young we went to Ohio to visit my husband's family. We had a great visit and when we were leaving for home we came to a traffic light at a 4 way intersection in a small Ohio city. All four lights turned green at the same time and, consequently, we got into an accident. We had to rent a car to get home and we sold our totalled car then and there to a local mechanic. What an ordeal! But, somehow we made it through.

Last weekend we experienced another disastrous trip. My daughter and her family now live in the Baltimore area of Maryland. My sister, Stacey, also lives in Maryland nearby. I planned a 4 to 5 day trip to Maryland to visit my family and to throw a baby shower for my daughter as she is pregnant and due in June with my third grandson! My sister was going to host the shower at her house. We were going with the Red Neck theme. It was going to be hilarious! Stacey and I had all kinds of funny red neck things to do. We had a great time planning this funky little shower. Rachael has a weird sense of humor like the rest of her family and we knew she would get a kick out of it.

My husband and I decided to drive down. It's about a 12 hour drive according to traffic and weather. On top of building my business, Air Companions, I also take care of people in my home. I have done this for years. Presently, I have been certified to be a VA Medical Foster Home and I care for a disabled veteran. He suffers with frontal lobe dementia; also called PICS disease. I have been caring for "DC" for almost 4 months. Overall I find him to be relatively easy to care for. So, I decided to take him along with us. I thought he might enjoy the trip. DC's son told me that his father did not like to travel. But, I thought that since he was with me he would do okay. Bad decision!

DC did well on the trip down to Maryland. He likes to ride in the car. However, once it was time to go to bed things went downhill very fast. Due to his dementia DC is almost nonverbal. But, when he realized he was not going to sleep in his own bed he started demanding to go home. He tried to run away and he kept us awake all night long. Still, I wanted to try to stay through Sunday as that was when we were doing Rachael's shower. So, we stumbled through Saturday with no sleep since Thursday night. Things went okay during the day but, sure enough, when it came time for bed DC would have none of it. He was even more insistent than the night before and he was making himself physically ill from all the stress. We made the agonizing decision to drive home through the night.

Once in the car DC calmed right down and fell asleep almost immediately. My husband and I on the other hand, had to drive home on no sleep for almost 2 days. And to make things really challenging it was raining all the way home! Without going into all the details I will just say we did make it home in 12 hours. It took my husband and 2 days to recover. DC slept like a baby all the way home and once he was home he was fine.

The baby shower did go on without me. My sister saved the day and went on with the show. Every one had a good time at the red neck shower. Johnny, Stacey's husband, is in the picture holding a shot gun and greeting everyone when they arrived at the shower. Everybody got a big kick out of it. I really feel bad that I missed the shower. I was so looking forward to it.

Lesson learned: Sometimes you don't take your work with you!

Transportation Security Administration

I went on the Transportation Security Administration Website and copied and pasted the information below. I think you will find it interesting. You can find out more by visiting the website at www.tsa.gov


Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

Air Travel




TSA Cares Help Line

TSA Cares is a helpline to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. TSA recommends that passengers call 72 hours ahead of travel to for information about what to expect during screening.

Travelers may call TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. TSA Cares will serve as an additional, dedicated resource specifically for passengers with disabilities, medical conditions or other circumstances or their loved ones who want to prepare for the screening process prior to flying.

The hours of operation for the TSA Cares helpline are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST, excluding federal holidays. Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to contact TSA Cares or can e-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.

When a passenger with a disability or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a representative will provide assistance, either with information about screening that is relevant to the passenger’s specific disability or medical condition, or the passenger may be referred to disability experts at TSA.

TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.

For more information visit: TSA Cares Information

One of the primary goals of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to provide the highest level of security and customer service to all who pass through our screening checkpoints. Our current policies and procedures focus on ensuring that all passengers, regardless of their personal situations and needs, are treated equally and with the dignity, respect, and courtesy they deserve. Although every person and item must be screened before entering each secure boarding area. All disability-related equipment, aids, and devices are allowed through security checkpoints once cleared through screening.

Please click on the links below for specific information about screening of disabilities and medical conditions.
Introduction
Before You Go
Tips For The Screening Process
Mobility Disabilities
Hearing Disabilities
Visual Disabilities
Hidden Disabilities
Breast Prosthetics
Sexual Trauma Victims
Pacemakers, Defibrillators, Other Implanted Medical Devices, & Metal Implants
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine
Medical Oxygen and Respiratory-Related Equipment
Diabetes
Medications
Assistive Devices and Mobility Aids
Prosthetic Devices, Casts, and Body Braces
Walkers, Crutches, and Canes
Augmentation Devices
Orthopedic Shoes, Support Appliances, and Exterior Medical Devices
Dressings
Service Animals
Children with Disabilities
Medical Conditions and Special Situations
Military Severely Injured Program