Flying long-haul when you’re old: sit near the lavatory and other practical tips from doctors and travellers
- Just like other activities, flying long distances is harder on your body when you’re older; the risk of deep vein thrombosis is higher, for example
- If you’re over 70 get a doctor’s check-up before you go; if you have medicines to take, invest in a pill organiser; and if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask
When my father turned 80 last year, his chief complaint was the fact that the cost of travel insurance was now astronomical.
It seemed hugely unfair for a man who is in good health and lives to travel, but insurance companies charge more for good reason – as you get older there are more things that can go wrong. Or, as my father puts it: “There are more things that can drop off.” So what are the risks for the silver-haired globe-trotter?
One of the key issues is that older travellers have less ability to make the physical compensations often made necessary by long-haul travel, says Dr Winston Goh, who qualified as a doctor at the University of Hong Kong and has a Diploma in Geriatric Medicine from the University of Glasgow in the UK.
“If a young, healthy person on a long-haul flight does not drink enough fluids, their body is able to compensate for that stress. Older persons have lower reserves to compensate,” says Goh.
The elderly are also at greater risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long-haul flights. Also known as economy class syndrome, DVT is a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body, usually in the lower leg or thigh. If the clot breaks free it can cause a serious problem in the lungs, called a pulmonary embolism.
