Supported travel, relocation and repatriation for patients and clients
Portage provides Travel Companion and Medical Escort services for patients and clients who require support to travel, including medical repatriation of stabilized patients by commercial airline.
Last updated: October 11, 2026
Portage provides supported travel for patients and clients who require assistance for a journey: hospital discharges, transfers between facilities, relocations, personal travel, and medical repatriation of patients whose condition has stabilized. A Case Coordinator plans each journey with the referring team and the family. A Travel Companion or a Medical Escort travels with the person from origin to destination, by commercial airline or, for shorter journeys, by ground.
Who refers to Portage?
Referrals come from the professionals responsible for a person's care, discharge, or placement:
Hospital social workers and discharge planners
Nursing unit managers and transition teams
Care home and long-term care staff
Home care and community case managers
Agencies supporting seniors, people living with dementia, and adults with disabilities
Mental health programs and supportive housing teams
Physicians and nurse practitioners
Referrals may be made by the professional directly or by the family.
Which journeys does Portage support?
Our typical cases include:
Discharge from hospital to home, to a rehabilitation program, or to a care residence in another city or province
Medical repatriation of a stabilized patient from a hospital in another province or country, by commercial airline with a Medical Escort
Relocation of an older adult, including a person living with dementia, to the city where family lives
Transfer of a person with a stabilized mental health condition between facilities, by air or by ground where an airline cabin is not an appropriate setting
Personal travel by a senior who requires support for the journey
Portage operates on commercial airlines and by ground. Repatriation cases are accepted where the patient's condition has stabilized and commercial travel is appropriate; the Case Coordinator confirms this with the treating team at intake. Air ambulance transport is outside our scope; where a journey requires it, the Case Coordinator advises the referring team.
Insurance and Assistance Companies
Portage accepts repatriation referrals from insurers and assistance companies for policyholders whose condition has stabilized and who can travel by commercial airline with a Medical Escort. For appropriate cases this is a safe and cost-effective alternative to air ambulance transport; where it is not appropriate, we advise accordingly. A support reason is documented for every journey at intake.
Questions from referring professionals
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Yes. Many referrals involve needs that are cognitive, psychiatric, or sensory rather than physical: early dementia, acquired brain injury, a mental health condition, an anxiety disorder, or fatigue that makes a full day of air travel unmanageable. The support need is documented at intake and the service level set accordingly. The Travel Companion travels without uniform or branding, and the Case Coordinator arranges airport assistance, including the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program where offered.
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Some people cannot manage a crowded airport, or may be restless, loud, or very talkative with the strangers seated beside them. For those journeys Portage arranges ground transport with the same Travel Companion or Medical Escort care, origin to destination, for distances that can be covered in a day. The Case Coordinator raises this option with the referring team at intake.