Travel insurance when close member of the family is ill

Helen36

We’ve booked a holiday and now need to get travel insurance, but I’m looking for the company that are best at covering if a close member of the family dies just before or during the holiday. My mother-in-law has dementia and is starting to deteriorate, but she has also had dementia years and I feel that we can’t put our lives on hold when we don’t know how things are going to progress (there’s no talk of end of life care etc.).

I know that it’s very unlikely that we will get any cover at all for a pre-exiting condition but if anyone has had success and has any recommendations for a starting point, that would be great. 

Thanks. 

Browntoa

If she's not on the policy it's immaterial 

TELLIT01

Browntoa said:

If she's not on the policy it's immaterial 

That is not necessarily true.  If cancellation cover would be provided in the case of a close family member being ill or dying, there may be a requirement to inform the insurer of any current medical issues.  This has been raised a number of times in the past where family members genuinely did not know a parent/grandparent had serious/terminal medical conditions but payment was refused.

twopenny

Indeed.

You need cover for all holidaying members to return in this event - if that's what you want.

Would you return if it was a couple/one day from the end of a weeks holiday? Providing she is in care.

Is it a 4 week trip then it's more important and will be more expensive as you would presumably wish to return.

Do you want the cost of your remaining holiday refunded or just the one off flights?

Decide what it is you want and then do some searching. It's personal so probably too difficult for us strangers to back up the search.

If you find some policies I;m sure people will help look for the pros and cons for you.

Annemos

My sister and I are also in this position. (With Mum.)

Sister and I have discussed this and agreed, that if the worst happens to Mum while either of us is on holiday, the one on holiday does not come back early. (We also agree not to put off a holiday if one was just about to start.)

So we would not be claiming off Insurance Policy. 

We also have in place, that the Dementia Home has all details of which Funeral Company to ring, so they step in as soon as anything would happen. The Home rings them direct. 


(Does that sound really awful of us? This has been ongoing for several years with Mum. It was the Home itself that mentioned giving them all the Funeral Company details.)

Just to add, our Mum was put on end-of-life path, but then she was taken off it again. 

TELLIT01

Doesn't sound awful in the least, just pragmatic.  The father of a friend of mine was seriously ill so they cancelled a holiday, although in that instance they got a full refund.  The father pulled through.  That same situation happened the following year and they went on holiday.  That time he did pass away.  Funeral director was informed and everything left on hold until they got back from holiday.

Hoenir

Helen36 said:

We’ve booked a holiday and now need to get travel insurance, but I’m looking for the company that are best at covering if a close member of the family dies just before or during the holiday. 

Cover should be effected prior to the holiday being booked. 

Helen36

Thanks for the advice. My mother-in-law isn’t travelling with us, it’s just about if she started to decline rapidly before we went or died while we were away then my husband might feel he shouldn’t go / should return early.

Annemos, I think we’ll follow your example. There are other family members about, we can’t change the situation with my mother-in-law by missing a holiday so I think we’ll make a similar agreement with other family members that if something happens, we are going anyway. It’s not a long holiday, but has some ‘bucket list’ things on it that we’ve always wanted to do with our children and might not be able to afford to do again. 

Annemos

Yes Helen36. 

You are in a similar situation to us, I think. Our holidays are maximum 3 weeks long, but normally 2 weeks. 

Our Mum is in her 90's and cannot move any more. Just lies in bed. All food is liquidised. Her mind in barely there. Repeats just 3 things over and over and is quite agitated sometimes. This particular state has been like this for 18 months now.

It is very depressing to see. Another family member we met in the home told us that it their relative was in this state for 6 years. 

My sister and I really feel that we need something to look forward to. 

We are nearing our 70's and also thinking we might not be able to do holidays soon. Cost of trips and Insurance becomes dearer and we are not getting any younger.

Also my own type of holiday is rather expensive these days, as it is in Asia and some previously available travel connections have been lost. I try to arrange it so that elements can be cancelled, if necessary, but a lot of effort also goes into setting up such a trip with visas etc. 

So we came to this decision as the only way to function on an ongoing basis, given the circumstances. 

I wish you and your family all the best and wish you enjoyable holidays. 

PS The odd distant family member might "tut" but we ignore that.