Ten Tips To Reduce Wandering for ALZ and Dementia persons 1. Be Prepared – There is no way to predict who will wander, when or how it might happen. The best advice is to be prepared and to register in the Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return Program before a loved one gets lost. 2. Encourage Movement and Exercise – Make a shared exercise, such as walking, part of your daily routine together and allow them access to a safe, enclosed area. 3. Be Objective – Do not take the person’s wandering behavior personally. 4. Be Aware of Hazards – Places that look safe may be dangerous for someone with Alzheimer’s. Look in and around the home for possible hazards: fences and gates, bodies of water, pools, dense foliage, bus stops, steep stairways, high balconies, and roadways where there is heavy traffic. Change what you can or block access. 5. Secure the Living Area – Do what you can to make your home safe and secure. Place locks out of the normal line of vision – either very high or very low on doors. Use doorknobs that prevent the person with Alzheimer’s from opening the door. Other safety actions include: Placing locks on gates, camouflaging doors, fencing in the patio or yard, installing electronic alarms or chimes on doors and using familiar objects, signs and night lights to guide the person around safely. 6. Communicate with the Person – Regularly remind and reassure the person with Alzheimer’s that you know how to find him and that he is in the right place. 7. Identify the Person – Have the person wear an identification bracelet or necklace. Use sew-on or iron-on labels or permanent markers to mark clothing. Place identification on shoes, keys, eyeglasses and in wallets and purses. 8. Involve the Neighbors – Inform your neighbors of your loved one’s condition and keep a list of their names and phone numbers handy. 9. Involve the Police – Some police departments will keep photos and fingerprints of people with Alzheimer’s on file. Have this information ready in case of an emergency including information such as the person’s age, hair color, medication, dental work, and jewelry. 10. Be Prepared for Other Modes of Wandering – Although most wandering takes place on foot, some persons with AD have been known to drive hundreds of miles, sometimes in a vehicle that belongs to someone else. Prevent this problem by keeping car keys out of sight or temporarily disabling the car by removing the distributor cap. People with Alzheimer’s also have traveled great distances by train or airplane, or have ridden public transportation.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 17:26:31 +0000
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