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Caring for a person with Alzheimer's at home or in an institutional setting can be a challenge. Keeping them safe from harm can be an even greater one. Many sufferers in the later stages of AD wander. Wandering is a serious and potentially deadly problem. There are measures that can be taken to decrease or even prevent wandering in an Alzheimer's sufferer.
There are many reasons why an Alzheimer patient wanders or walks away from home or a well-known path or area. As a first step, try to determine the reasons behind wandering by asking these questions: Medication: Some medications have side effects that result in confusion and restlessness. Is the patient on such medication? If so, consult your physician. Stress: Is the person trying to handle stress, noise, unpleasant people, crowding, or isolation? If so, consider changing the situation. Time Confusion: Does the person become confused at certain parts of the day, such as the middle of the night or early evening? Does the person claim that people have been gone for days or weeks and then searches for them? Basic Needs: Is the person looking for something specific such as food, drink, the bathroom, or companionship? Restlessness: Does the person have enough movement and activity during the day? Is it possible that the person wanders in order to get up and move around? Lack of Recognition: Is the person in a new or changed physical environment that makes him want to search for familiar objects, surroundings or people? Fear: Is the person trying to escape from something frightening? Is the person experiencing a delusion or hallucination, or has the person simply misinterpreted sights and sounds? Past Behavior: Is the person trying to meet former obligations involving a former job, home, friend, or family member? Other factors that may contribute to wandering include medical conditions such as stroke or other factors such as consumption of alcohol, changes in the weather, or feeling abandoned, useless or helpless. Wandering may be frustrating and irritating for caregivers, but it becomes a problem only when the person moves into an unsafe or unhealthy area or climate, puts others at risk, or invades others' property. For this reason, many people who care for Alzheimer patients decide to overlook wandering behavior until it becomes dangerous to the patient and to others. Or they permit the person to wander within safe boundaries or follow the individual on special outings.
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Karen Largent's Alzheimer's Research topic, please visit the Discussions page. |
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