Caring for an older person with Alzheimers of other form of dementia can be difficult. Seniors with dementia can often be confused about where they are or who their carers are, and they can become agitated for reasons they can’t explain.

One of these challenging behaviours that carries significant risks is wandering. Wandering is, at a basic level, the urge to walk around. When this happens within the home, it can be a little stressful to a carer, though not necessarily dangerous. But when a dementia sufferer wanders away into the outdoors – which is sometimes called elopement – the risks are far higher.

That’s why carers often work so hard to prevent wandering. And one of the most powerful tools available to them is a wandering alarm.

In this post, we’ll discuss what a wandering alarm device is and why having one is so important for seniors with dementia.

Why do dementia sufferers wander?

There are many reasons why people with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia are thought to wander. These include:

Instinctively following old patterns, like walking out of the door to go to work
Being in a new place or not recognising their current home
Boredom and restlessness, perhaps due to an unmet need for exercise
Hallucinations or delusions
Confusion resulting from a break from routine
Wanting to go home – this is a desire often expressed by dementia sufferers, even when they are at home
Sensory or emotional distress or agitation that they cannot express

How to keep dementia patients from wandering

Understanding the reasons for wandering helps carers to stave off some wandering. For example, if an elderly person wanders when there is a break from routine, sticking to a routine will help. Likewise, wandering due to restlessness can sometimes be decreased by giving the older person more exercise and walking around with them.

In addition to these steps, carers can take several other steps to prevent wandering.

Doors, windows, and gates should be locked (although a senior with dementia should never be locked in somewhere alone). You can also install alarms on doors and windows that alert carers when someone is going through.
Exterior doors can be hidden by curtains
You can potentially dissuade a person with dementia from going through a door by putting something black on the floor in front of it. People with dementia will sometimes see black rugs as holes and therefore won’t try to walk over them.
Hide or put away all objects that could cue to an older person that it’s time to go outside. This could include shoes, coats, hats and umbrellas left by the door.
Stay with the older person in order to monitor them

What is a wandering alarm?

In spite of all of these steps, older people may still find a way to wander. In particular, there’s a risk that they’ll wander away while they’re outside the home with their carer.

That’s where wandering alarms come in. The best of these devices have the same functionality as a personal alarm for the elderly – they have an SOS button that can be used to call for help, and they can detect when their wearer has fallen and raise an alert. But wandering alarms should also have functions that help carers manage wandering behaviours, such as…

Geo-fencing

Geo-fencing allows carers to set a boundary on a map and be alerted when the dementia sufferer crosses it. These can be used with seniors who have milder dementia and can be outdoors alone, but are at risk of wandering in the wrong direction.

GPS functionality

GPS tracking is essential for an older person who’s at risk of wandering due to dementia. A missing older person with dementia can require a huge and frightening search effort – but with GPS tracking, finding a lost relative with dementia is quick and simple. Family members can simply look on the connected app to see where their elderly loved one is.

Benefits of watch/lockable strap format

When an older person has more advanced dementia, they may not understand why they need a wandering alarm and they may try to remove it. A wandering alarm with a lockable strap avoids this issue because it can’t be removed without the key once it’s locked on. Therefore, its wearer is always safely trackable.

Protection in case of emergencies at home

Let’s not forget that a wandering alarm is still a personal alarm – so it’s still crucially useful even outside the context of wandering.

Falls are a risk for any older person, and they’re more likely to happen to dementia sufferers because people with dementia find it difficult to understand their surroundings. A senior with dementia could mistake a pattern on the floor for steps, for example, and fall.

If that does happen, the SureSafe wandering alarm’s fall detection features will likely notice the fall and call for help. An older person who is in a less advanced stage of dementia could press the one-touch button in the alarm for help, too.

Why is wandering a problem?

Why is it important to take such strong measures to tackle wandering?

Because seniors with dementia who wander can face very severe consequences, including death. According to the USA’s NPR (National Public Radio), half of dementia patients who go missing because of wandering will be seriously injured or worse if they aren’t found within a day.

What makes wandering so dangerous? Seniors with dementia don’t understand their environment. They may wander outdoors in a thin nightgown in freezing weather, or they may walk in front of a car. As we’ve mentioned, they can struggle to understand patterns on the ground, so they may walk into bodies of water.

SureSafe’s protection against wandering

Wandering is a tough behaviour to handle. But with the right tools, it can be combatted.

SureSafe’s Dementia Tracker alarm is a crucial addition to that toolbox. The Dementia Tracker has all the features we’ve mentioned above and more. Plus, it has the same simplicity and quality that has earned SureSafe such high ratings on sites like Trustpilot over the years.

So, if you have an older loved one who wanders due to dementia, consider getting the Dementia Tracker. It’s the last line of defence between your older loved one and many dangerous hours roaming outside in confusion and agitation.

If you’d like to hear more about the Dementia Tracker alarm, just give our team a call at 0808 189 1671 or speak to us through live chat. You can also request a call back.