Getting There

By Ros Lederman

Ros Lederman, a freelance writer and fact checker, has been writing since she could put a pen to paper, back when that was what “writing” meant. She pursued all forms of writing through graduate school, finding her home writing about all things medical and healthcare. She also branched out into the world of digital accessibility, driven by passion and personal experience living with disabilities.

How one travel nurse helps aging loved ones get from point A to point B

Fact checked by Shannon Sparks

Whether your father in Denver has Lewy body dementia or your grandmother in Florida is recovering from a stroke, when you decide that it’s time to bring them back to where family can help care for them, you may wonder: How exactly do I do that safely?

It’s not as easy as buying them a plane ticket and meeting them at the airport. There are medical and travel needs to consider, along with fall risks and confusion. That’s where travel nurses come in. Caregiving spoke with Cindy L. Schaefer, a registered flight nurse and president of Travel Care & Logistics, about how she approaches travel nursing.

Caregiving: How does your company help people get to where they want to go?

Cindy L. Shaefer: Our clients are adults with disabilities and seniors. We review the traveler’s medical and physical conditions, plan the trip safely, and travel with our travelers. Most of the travel we do is usually for a [logistical] purpose — returning somebody home who was traveling, such as a snowbird, or helping people relocate to be near family.

How did you get into this line of work?

Shaefer: I’m a pilot as well as a nurse. I was a pilot six months before I was a licensed nurse. I know the forces of flight, pressurization, oxygenation, and all the things that are different between being in an airplane and sitting on your couch at sea level, and how they affect senior travelers. I’ve been doing this for about 25 years. I’m a very research- and science-based person. Most things you can explain when you know the forces.

What is a typical scenario in which someone might contact you for assistance?

Shaefer: When people say to me, “I’ve got to get my mom from here to here. Can you do it?” I ask about their situation, then review some of their medical information. My answer typically falls into one of two categories: It isn’t safe to fly, or it can be made safe to travel. Options for safe travel include an air ambulance for more severe conditions, a commercial airline, or a chartered plane.

The last two options are based on the traveler’s condition, as well as preference. Since 2019, during Covid, I have established relationships with several charter companies that work with us to find better flight options, making chartering more affordable and thus more available to travelers.

What challenges do you commonly face, and how do you overcome them?

Shaefer: When traveling with patients with cognitive impairment issues, they can get very fearful. Some get very anxious. And some have behaviors that can become a legal problem. If someone is being more verbally or physically aggressive, it can be concerning on a commercial plane, where there are such tight quarters. Family members travel with them about 50% of the time. I prefer to take them on a chartered plane where the environment is calmer, the travel day is shorter, and the travelers are much more relaxed.

Do you have any memorable travel stories that have stuck with you?

Shaefer: There was a lady who had significant brain tumors, whose dying wish was to travel from Southern California to Mexico, where she had a house on the beach. That’s where she wanted to die. She had to fly in a plane whose cabin could be pressurized to near-sea level pressure. We got her there. She had the best week of her life and then passed away.

There was also a lady I picked up in Seattle, Washington, and I took her down to Atlanta, Georgia, because she wanted to see her granddaughter graduate from Emory. We set up a care manager down in Georgia and booked a hotel with a goat that lived on the roof. She absolutely loved that. We got her an oversized Emory T-shirt and one of those little flags, and we took pictures with everybody so she had bragging rights when she went home. She had a great time.

Why is there such a need for these services?

Shaefer: The nuclear family is often no longer together in the same town or even the same state. Families are important when you get older. Families are your glue. Having them near is important.