vendredi 18 décembre 2015

Alzheimer's & Dementia Care: Tips To Prevent Wandering

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.

The main reason why people with dementia wander is that they are simply confused about where they are or perhaps why they are in a specific location. While one might think they might be more confused at a facility for assisted living in San Diego, a person with dementia also can become confused at home. They may not identify their home as their residence, but believe that they actually live in a previous residence.

It doesn't matter whether your family member with dementia lives at a facility for assisted living in San Diego or in their private home; there are ways to keep them as safe as possible. If they do tend to wander, it can be wise to make sure that they have a medical identification bracelet or pin as well as a purse or wallet with identification. Sewing a patch of fabric into the inside of a jacket also can help. You can use fabric pens to write the person's name, as well as the phone number of a family member or friend.

Nighttime can be a particularly difficult and confusing time of day for people with any type of dementia. Often a person will have trouble sleeping and be up pacing the floor or become agitated as the sun goes down, and this increases the likelihood of wandering. Creating a busy, but stress-free schedule for your loved one can help. This will include planned mealtimes and an early dinner hour, as well as some type of exercise as well as a few engaging activities. These activities don't have to be difficult. It could include working on a puzzle, sweeping the back porch, folding laundry, setting the table and helping wash dishes. Exercise might be a short walk with the family dog or perhaps a swim class or some light dancing, it all depends on their physical abilities. At the end of a full day with plenty of activities, it can be easy for someone to fall into a solid, deep sleep.

In some cases, families do resort to taking stronger measures to ensure the safety of a family member. Placing locks high up on the front door or using child-proof devices on doors and windows can make it difficult for a person to leave. Installing door monitors that signal when a door has opened also can alert someone that your loved one is leaving the house. Ask some kind neighbors to keep an eye out and give you a quick call if they see your loved one wandering around the neighborhood. If the battle to keep your loved one safe gets to be too much, it can be smart to look into a residence for assisted living in San Diego County.

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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