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Keepurheadup Asked July 2019

Any suggestions to manage incontinence on an airplane?

Have to fly mother 3 hours to attend her brother’s funeral. She doesn’t walk since she broke her hip a year ago. What am I supposed to do?

Countrymouse Jul 2019
Forgive me, but I thought "have to fly mother... brother's funeral" was a moot point. I thought you were trying to come to a practical decision about whether or not this was a good idea.

How did you come to the conclusion that you do have to do this, just out of curiosity?

If you really do have to, then I should get in touch with the airline's customer service team as soon as possible and ask for their help, approaching your mother's requirements as they would those of any other person with disabilities. And, by the way, I wouldn't try to do this on a budget - pick the best carrier your mother can afford.

SofiaAmirpoor Jul 2019
Doubling and tripling the diapers has been suggested, but in reality, you both won't fit in the bathroom at the same time.

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Riverdale Jul 2019
Not only would you have to fly her there with all that entails you then have to fly her back.

cwillie Jul 2019
Given that she is in AL I wonder if you have any experience helping her change and clean up?
If you are determined to do this I would suggest she wear a double (triple?) layer of incontinence pull ups, or maybe a tab style brief inside of a pull up, that way the inner layer could be removed (by tearing open the sides) without having to change her clothes. Baby wipes are a must for clean up.

anonymous912123 Jul 2019
Lots of answers on your previous post, you do not have to fly your mother there. Think this through, this makes no sense. The other people on the plane do not need to be inconvenienced by the odors of a full diaper as you will never get her to the bathroom and if you do it is too small for two people.

freqflyer Jul 2019
Keepurheadup, when was the last time you have flown? The middle aisle in the plan feels like it is only one foot wide, so if your Mom is in a wheelchair, I don't know how the airline handles getting a passenger to their seat.

Unfortunately with incontinence, it is only fair to the other passengers who are sitting nearby if the person can go to the restroom and change their undergarment. Sadly, said restrooms on a plane barely have room for one person :(

I think I would think twice about flying mother. The logistics are so complicated.
Shane1124 Jul 2019
So true! It’s like a sardine these days. Also think of all the banging noises with passengers loading overhead luggage, etc. It may be too much stimulation for your mother & make her anxious.
It also means you will have to get to a BR “toot sweet” on arrival to make everything nice & clean again if the interval was too long between pull up changes.

All in all, is it worth it? Your mother’s routine will be severely disrupted & she will suffer getting back to her routine.

And, not to be mean, but she may forget the service by the time she’s gets back home.

No one wins here.
worriedinCali Jul 2019
You were given lots of advice on your other thread. Are you sure you can handle your 88 year old incontinent, immobile mother on your own? You need to worry about more than just the plane ride. Have you considered Skyping or having a relative record the service?

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