Tips for Alzheimer’s Disease Wandering Prevention

If your elderly loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, one of the things that you might be worried about is them wandering. There are many elderly people who have Alzheimer’s that wander. They might go outside of their home and around the neighborhood. They might wander around the store if you take your eyes off from them. The good news is that there are some tips for helping to prevent wandering with Alzheimer’s disease. You and your elderly loved one’s caregivers can use these tips to keep them safe.

Keep Your Eyes on Them

If you must take your elderly loved one out into public, be sure that you don’t take your eyes off from them. If you leave your elderly loved one unattended, they are more likely to wander off. For instance, if you need to go into the customer service line at a store, be sure to take them with you. If you leave them waiting for you, there is a higher chance that they wander. If you would prefer to have your loved one stay home while you go out, you can hire caregivers to help watch them in their home.

Locking the Doors

Another way to prevent wandering is to lock all the doors in their house. You should have the locks installed up high or down low. This way your elderly loved one can’t unlock them easily. However, it is important to remember that whatever lock is put on the door, should be able to be opened by you or the caregivers quickly. This way, if there is an emergency, everyone can make it out safely.

GPS Tracking

There are many different GPS tracking devices that you can get for your elderly loved one. This way, if they do wander off, you can track where they went. There are devices that you can put in their shoe, on their jacket, on a watch, or on a necklace. If it is something that your elderly loved one has to wear, you might need to convince them often that they shouldn’t take it off.

Bed or Door Alarms

There are also alarms that you can have placed on the bed or doors. These alarms will go off when your elderly loved one gets out of bed or goes out the door. If you can’t be home with your loved one, but one of the caregivers are there, these alarms are a great idea. This way, even when the caregivers get busy, they will know when your loved one is trying to wander.

Conclusion

These are some of the tips for Alzheimer’s disease and wandering prevention. There are many elderly people with this disease that wander. It is important that you help your loved one to stay safe. The less they are able to wander without being watched, the better.

Sources
https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/triage/BH-Brief-WanderingExit-Seeking.pdf