The Facts Behind Wandering - Advice for a Caregiver

Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on February 16, 2017

The Facts Behind Wandering – Advice for a Caregiver

Did you know that six out of ten people who are diagnosed with dementia will wander? This is especially troubling since people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty remembering their names and addresses and they become disorientated easily. And according to the National Institute on Aging, “if someone is not found within 24 hours, up to half of them will suffer serious injury or death.”

What to look for?

Be observant if the person is restless, paces, or makes repetitive movements or they try to continue a former responsibility like going to a job, etc. Other characteristics to look for include when the person tries or wants to go “home” even though they are at their home, appears lost in their environment, or they return from an outing much later than usual.

Additionally, they may have a hard time locating a once-familiar place like a certain room in their living quarters or in the area they grew up or keep asking where so-and-so lives. Another factor is for the person to appear/act like they are engaged in an activity yet nothing really transpires.

What can be done?

Here are some practical strategies that help reduce anxiety, agitation, and restlessness that may lead to wandering. You can keep these in mind when caregiving for a dementia patient.

• Help the person with their basic needs. Are they hungry or thirsty? Do they need to use the bathroom? Are they wearing appropriate clothing? Is proper lighting available?
• Reassure and redirect them if they feel sad, disoriented, alone, etc. If the person asks to leave and go somewhere, remind them that you are here with them, you will stay with them, and they are safe. Then gently change the subject or activity.
• Continue with daily activities. Is a routine being followed? Routines help provide structure and can often reduce agitation and improve moods.
• Prevent places and activities that might be confusing or cause disorientation. Generally, it is best to try to maintain a quiet environment that is not too fast-paced.
• Install locks or alarms that are out of sight. Consider placing slide bolts at the top or bottom of the exterior doors. Or add a door alarm that offers an alert when the door is opened.
• Keep any house keys and car keys hidden. For obvious reasons, a person should never be locked in the house alone or left unsupervised.

What plan will help in case of an emergency?

• Have a list of people and telephone numbers to call.
• Encourage neighbors to contact you if they see the person outside and alone.
• Familiarize yourself with potential areas near your home that the person may wander towards (to include places they enjoy – restaurants, stores, former homes, past jobs, etc.-  and also problematic areas - bodies of water, stairwells, wooded areas, high traffic roads, tunnels, etc.).
• Keep updated medical information and a current photo to show if necessary.
• Move quickly as 94% of people who wander are found within 1.5 miles of their departure.
• Provide ID jewelry. Check out MedicAlert^®+ Alzheimer's Association Safe Return^®. Explore other monitoring and tracking technologies. Many of these devices use GPS tracking.
• Enroll them in a local “Silver Alert” directory or any other registry if available. These systems help find seniors who have wandered off and have gotten lost.
• Call 911 after a brief search. A missing report should be filed. File a report with MedicAlert+ Alzheimer's Association Safe Return at 1.800.625.3780. First responders are trained to check with this association when they locate a missing person with dementia. You do not need to be enrolled in it in order to file a missing report.

Will it happen to my loved one?

When my husband and I attended our first support group for caregivers a few years back, many of the above suggestions were shared. We were left to wonder about my mother who was living with us. She had been diagnosed with dementia and paranoia. Would she wander? They had gently warned us that you don’t really know if the person wanders until it happens.

Would she wander? That answer came a few months later when we were up at our cottage. It was a hot, humid summer day and I had just brought my mother a magazine and ice tea as she sat in the sunroom. I went back into the kitchen to finish making lunch. When my husband went to get Mom to eat a few minutes later, only her shoes remained. Where was she?

After a quick search through our property and in and around the neighboring cottages, she was nowhere to be found. The local police and DNR came immediately when I called. They alerted me that a search party of 100 volunteers and two trained dogs were on their way. About 30 minutes later, my mother was found sitting in the neighboring woods near a small creek, about a half a mile from our cottage. She did not respond to calls. She did not shout out. There was no expression on her face.

As I brought Mom into the cottage, she was oblivious to the situation and all of the people who had come to help.

As for me, I was definitely relieved and grateful to the support group’s advice and to all those who had come to help.