Sunday, December 6, 2015

Dementia & Wandering: Tips To Keep Loved Ones Safe

Dementia & Wandering: Tips To Keep Loved Ones Safe

By Rue Nichols


Newspapers seem to feature stories every day about a person with Alzheimer's or dementia wandering away from home or even from a community for assisted living in San Diego. Keeping your loved one safe can be a big challenge, but there are a few methods that have been found to reduce wandering and improve overall safety.

People with dementia wander for a few reasons. They become easily confused about their surroundings, not quite understanding why they are where they are. This can occur both at a home they have resided in for many years as well as in a home for assisted living in San Diego, as familiarity with a specific place doesn't seem to reduce the confusion in many cases. In addition, people with dementia also often experience a great deal of restlessness which also leads them to wander.

It can be very tough for caregivers to be able to watch a person around the clock, but there are a few ways to improve safety for your loved one if he or she lives at home rather than in assisted living in Oceanside. For instance, you can make sure that they have a wallet with identification. Of course, this could be left behind, so wearing a medical alert bracelet could help increase safety. Another option is to sew a patch inside a favorite jacket or sweater that provides information for anyone who might find your loved one wandering.

While a person could wander away at any time of the day, it seems that many people with dementia will wander at dusk or at night. This is because they often tend to be very agitated and restless at night. To help reduce the restlessness, it can help to provide some exercise and activities during the day. This might include taking some short walks or perhaps doing some light gardening or household chores, whatever level of exercise is safe for your loved one. In addition, it is recommended that you eat an early evening meal to help aid digestion and make sleeping a bit easier.

If wandering becomes a common problem, it might be time to consider taking more drastic measures. For instance, you can apply child-safety devices on doors and windows to make it difficult to leave the home. Talk to your neighbors and explain the situation and ask them to give you a call if they see your loved one leaving the home. When you get to the point where you constantly are worried about safety, it might be time to consider moving your loved one into a home for assisted living in San Diego.

While there is no facility that can guarantee 100% safety all of the time, assisted living in San Diego usually is much safer than being at home. The risk of wandering is lower because the facility is set up specifically to keep stress levels low and manage the symptoms of dementia. The staff is trained to handle dementia-related issues and someone is there all day and night. When searching for a facility, be sure that you select a community that is designed for people with Alzheimer's or any other type of dementia.




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