Some U.S. airports striving to make flying more inclusive for those with dementia

Andrea Nissen is trying to prepare her 65-year-old husband, who has Alzheimer’s disease, for a solo flight from Arizona to Oklahoma to visit family. She worries about travellers and airport officials misinterpreting his forgetfulness or habit of getting in people’s personal space, and feels guilty about not being able to accompany him.But attending a dementia-friendly travel workshop in July helped ease some of those fears.

But most large U.S. airports are behind the curve on serving travellers with dementia when compared with some airports in Australia and Europe. Dementia isn’t covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, so nobody is compelled by law to make changes, said Sara Barsel, a former special education teacher and founder of the Dementia-Friendly Airports Working Group, which lobbies for airports and airlines to enact dementia-inclusive policies.

One of the first airports the group reached out to was the Missoula Montana Airport, which became certified as a “sensory inclusive” facility in March. The group went over issues that can arise with lighting, floor design and noise. It also incorporated the sunflower lanyards. “It played every day in my mind,” Kirkwood said. “What could I have done differently? I didn’t get to say goodbye to her.”

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, however, is launching the sunflower lanyard program in mid-September. All front line employees who interact with customers and volunteer ambassadors will receive formal training on how to engage with travellers donning the lanyards. Its inception has been a long time coming, according to airport spokesperson Heath Montgomery.

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