Q&A: Preventing Wandering

Question:

My mother has dementia and has started to wander off. How do I keep her safe without making her a prisoner in her own home?

Answer

As anyone with a parent who has dementia knows, the prospect of that parent becoming disoriented and wandering outside the home is a real and pressing concern. However, there are a number of precautions you can take to help keep your mom or dad safe and out of harm’s way. The most important thing to remember, says Vladimir Kotelnik, a Registered Nurse and Geriatric Case Manager at Partners in Care, is that “every patient is different and needs to be evaluated in order to identify potential triggers that might lead a parent to leaving the house and wandering.” Kotelnik suggests the following strategies for protecting your parent:

Avoid Triggers. “One of the most common triggers for wandering is restlessness,” says Kotelnik. Try to keep your parent as active as possible during the daytime. If your parent tends to wander during the night, Kotelnik recommends cutting back on afternoon naps. This will help ensure that your parent sleeps soundly throughout the night.

Install Safety Devices. Simple changes, such as putting a latch on your mom’s front door, can help prevent her from leaving her home in a disoriented state. “Remember to install the latch in a place that’s hard for your parent to reach—either very high on the door frame, or very low,” adds Kotelnik. Additionally, some alarm systems have motion sensors that can alert caregivers when the front door to their parent’s home has been opened. It may seem intrusive, but it’s an effective way of keeping tabs on your parent’s whereabouts.

Helpful Services. A great resource for caregivers who have a parent with dementia is MedicAlert^® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return^®. Run by the Alzheimer’s Association, this program provides 24-hour support for locating missing persons, and for medical emergencies. For more information, or to find out how you can enroll your parent, visit their website. 

Another useful safety device is VNSNY AssistNow. This system includes a lightweight activator worn around the neck or wrist and a two-way voice activator that can automatically connect your parent with the VNSNY Response Center Team in the event of an emergency. For more information, or to order VNSNY AssistNow, please call 1-877-492-2122.