Wandering and Dementia: Preparation and Prevention
November 5, 2013 | Alzheimer's and Other Dementias
Did you know that 6 out of 10 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia will wander at some point during the course of the disease? Imagine it. You are shopping at Costco, and turn around to find your spouse with Alzheimer’s disease gone, nowhere in sight. You’re away for a few days, out of town and staying at a hotel, only to wake up in the night to find that your loved one with dementia is simply gone. Or you come home from work to find the front door wide open and your parent with dementia nowhere in sight.
These are all real life scenarios that have happened to real families. Many caregivers proclaim that their mother/father/ spouse/person with dementia “has never wandered.” And this was true of all the people in the above situations, too, until the first time that they did wander. Never having wandered is not a predictor for future wandering.
Preparation is the best possible prevention for wandering. First, register your person with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia in the MedicAlert®+Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® program. The person with dementia will receive jewelry identifying them as memory impaired and with their own Safe Return ID number. If they wander and become lost, caregivers can contact the 24-hour emergency response line to report it, after having called 911. A support network will be activated with the goal of finding the individual, and returning him or her safely home. Likewise, if a first responder or Good Samaritan finds someone who appears to be lost and confused, they can call the toll free number listed on the piece of jewelry. MedicAlert+Safe Return will then contact the listed caregivers to ensure that the person is returned home. You can register a person with dementia at the MedicAlert Foundation’s website, or by calling 1.888.572.8566.
Take Me Home is a program of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. They have developed a registry that includes information about and a photo of the person with special needs. In the event of a missing registrant, this information is shared with police agencies throughout San Diego County, so that collaborative efforts can be made to find the person and return him/her safely home. This program serves people with developmental disabilities, as well as those with medical conditions or diseases, such as dementia, that may increase their risk of wandering and becoming lost. Access the Take Me Home website for more information. Similar programs exist in many major metropolitan areas.
Lastly, consider contacting a local Professional Geriatric Care Manager for a safety assessment, ideally before a wandering incident. A Care Manager can provide objective recommendations regarding wandering and how to prevent it, and other suggestions to help support you and your loved one with dementia in the best and safest possible way. You can find a Care Manager in your local area by visiting the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) website at www.caremanager.org and clicking on “Find a Care Manager.”
Remember: wandering is a preventable occurrence. It requires proactive planning and careful monitoring. But with the support of programs like MedicAlert®+Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® and Take Me home, as well as the professional knowledge and guidance of your Care Manager, preventing and responding to wandering is achievable.