Relax and enjoy the beauty all around you on this Dementia Friendly Cruise!
A Perfect Getaway For Caregivers And Family Members!
Create a multi-generational adventure to Alaska on Holland America’s MS Oosterdam. We connect families who may have special needs (mobility challenges, food, and environmental allergies, etc.) with trained staff so all can enjoy with peace of mind. You, and your loved ones, living with memory challenges, receive a specially designed unforgettable retreat!
This Caregiver Alaskan Adventure will include:
An opportunity for attendees to find inspiration aboard from stories about the journeys of global caregivers through Caregiver Circles.
Caregiver respite sessions are a time for the caregivers to relax and experience an adventure or simply take a nap.
Available RN private duty care one-on-one client support at a minimal hourly fee.
Accessible accommodations (no additional charge) and rent-able mobility devices.
Dementia/Alzheimer’s interactive conference sessions intended to educate, inspire and create new ideas.
Opening night private party. Our first opportunity to meet and greet.
An opportunity to benefit from a wide range of programming created for the complex and stressful daily lives of caregivers and their family members. Discover your journey as a caregiver in a whole new way and return home with a RENEWED SPIRIT!
Bring your loved one and Let’s Enjoy LifeTOGETHER!
Elite strives to create a SAFE and SECURE environment so that EVERYONE can enjoy the moment and caregivers can make life-long MEMORIES!
Keynote Speaker Saskia de Quaasteniet, founder of Creating Being Well Caregiver Consulting
As a Certified Caregiving Consultant & Educator Saskia works with individuals whose life, health and career are affected by the ongoing challenges of caring for their parents, spouse or an elderly friend. She is an expert in providing coping strategies, tools and resources that help find relief from personal resentment, guilt and stress that may lead to burnout during your caregiving journey. With 12+ years of gained experience in the Caregiver Service Industry working with the elderly and their adult children, plus hundreds of hours of research, Saskia is skilled in unique and effective solutions necessary to support yourself so you can support your career the best you can. These methods instantly bring a sense of peace and fulfillment and improve wellbeing and life balance. She has been a family caregiver herself since 2004, caring for her father and mother in law who have both passed away. She is currently a long-distance caregiver for her mother who lives overseas. Currently she provides online support in her Caregiver Huddles. To join a Caregiver Huddle please register at no cost here.
All aboard the MS Oosterdam!
Possessing one of the highest rates of space per person in the Holland America fleet, the Oosterdam boasts innovative, luxurious features.
There are plenty of family-friendly activities, such as the Mainstage with live entertainment, America’s Test Kitchen, the Lincoln Center Stage and BBC earth Experiences.
Check out Billboard Onboard! An exclusive interactive experience which will let you sing along to fifty years of chart-topping hits.
Drop the kids off at Club HAL, a fully supervised area with tons of games and enrichment activities, then head over to the Greenhouse Spa and Salon to enjoy a premium facial or massage treatment.
Gambling lovers will enjoy slots or blackjack at the casino, and music lovers will rejoice at B.B. King’s Blues Club, which has an eight-piece band that presents the best of Memphis music.
1. Cruise Director: Kathy Shoaf RN BSN ATP, Travel Professional
Owner and CEO of Elite Cruises And Vacations LLC, Owned and operated with Sincere Passion to help people Enjoy their Lives!
Certified Special Needs Travel Agency "Elite Senior Accompanied Cruises”
Kathy is a Travel Expert with 20+years of clinical and management experience in Geriatric, Neurology, Rehabilitation and senior housing as an RN and Adaptive Technology Professional. She realized after years of counseling with the families of our seniors that the QUEST to enjoy life "Should Never Have to Stop". Her ability to overcome Fear and Anxiety about travel... Makes travel possible and "Bucket-List Dreams come true.
Kathy is uniquely qualified to understand travel challenges and create rational solutions. Her passion is to deliver Senior Group Cruise Events, in an environment where support and friendships increase confidence, even when accessibility challenges and clinical issues exist.
All seniors, and those afflicted with limiting diagnosis, deserve to ENJOY EVERY DAY THAT GOD GIVES US!
Her Senior Accompanied Travel programs include RN support, Integrative group conference events, Educational and supportive presentations, Respite sessions for the caregivers, Topical “Enjoy Life” activities, Supported pre-cruise group hotel and Accessible/ mobility accommodations.
Let’s experience Life together without Limits EliteCruisesAndVacationsTravel.com 888-826-6836
2. Travel and Accessibility Expert: Lesli Jenkins Wang
President & CEO at Free2Go Mobility Products, Inc. Lesli Wang is fiercely committed to developing products that enhance the lifestyle of the aging and mobility impaired, enabling them to retain their independence and - most importantly - their dignity.
Her product, the Free2Go Rollator, makes it possible for those with reduced mobility to safely, confidently, and discreetly use a toilet in ANY restroom - at home, the homes of others, in public restrooms. The 3-in-1 benefits of a walking aid, raised toilet seat, and toilet safety frame make it the ideal travel companion. She created the Free2Go Rollator to meet her mother's needs and recognized the product could serve people around the world.
Please visit their website. You can view this transformative product, a video with Lesli's inspiration (aka "Mom"), and how this product is changing her life - and will for many like her.
3. Barbara Roberts - RN
Barbara is the owner and CEO of Barbara Roberts Consulting, LLC. She has worked as a Registered Nurse in Eldercare Services for over 30 years and currently works near Kennebunk, Maine, in Eldercare Services as a Nurse Consultant. She specializes in Education, Regulatory Compliance and Recertification Medication Competency. Barbara is enrolled at York County Community College with a goal of obtaining a Gerontology degree. She is a former Director of Residential Care facility specializing in Dementia Care, as well as a CRMA and CNA Instructor. Barbara is a Four Star Mariner on Holland America Cruise Line and is compassionate about helping families with loved ones with cognitive impairments.
4. Eric Roberts
Eric is the loving husband of Barbara Roberts, RN. He resides with his family in Leeds, Maine. In addition to his professional responsibilities in the lay sector, he creates time and energy to actively participate in the day to day care of Barbara's mother.
As a trusted family caregiver, he seeks to communicate the health care professions and works tirelessly to establish a realistic and meaningful care plan. Eric is an amazing addition to our cruise support staff.
Enjoy 7 nights departing from Seattle, WA on Holland America’s Oosterdam, round trip August 23-30, 2020!
