Alzheimers is a chronic disease that causes the sufferer to lose some of their mental capacities. One way that it commonly manifests itself is in the wandering done by Alzheimer patients. 26% percent of diagnosed Alzheimer patients have been reported lost at least once. This number is alarmingly high. If you have ever cared for an older patient with this kind of dementia, wandering is always a concern. Caregivers of Alzheimer patients have to stay watchful to make sure their patient is safe. Patients have been known to wander for miles away from their homes. This is extremely dangerous for an elderly person who is on regular medication and misses important doses or dangerous when an individual wanders off during extreme weather. An elderly individual cannot survive the extreme elements. Besides being extra vigilant, there are simple techniques that can be used to deter some of the wandering. Changing out the door handles and locks and using door exit alarms are two quick and affordable fixes.
An Alzheimer patient relies on simple sequences-a hat may trigger the need to leave the house, the sight of a door handle may trigger the individual to open or unlock doors. The individual reasons that --a door handle needs to be turned and the end result is the individual leaving the home. By changing your front door handle to one that is not familiar to your patient and painting the doors the same color as the walls, you can effectively deter an escape. Consider door handles with special locking mechanisms that require a key to unlock. Make sure you keep the key nearby in case of an emergency. However for safety reasons you should never leave such an Alzheimer patient alone in case of a real emergency they cannot exit the residence safely.
There are other simple changes you can make to your door to discourage a wanderer. Use dead bolt door locks, install special door handles or use childproof door handle covers to prevent the individual from turning the handle. If you have a front door with windows consider changing it to a windowless door. Above all experts recommend that you remain vigilant, check the doors regularly during the day to make the sure the exit doors are securely locked.
There are also some recommended precautions to take when you leave the house. Another place where wanderers get lost is from car. This makes up 18% of the cases reported of lost Alzheimer patients. If possible do not leave the patient alone in a car. The sight of the chrome door handle may trigger the patients desire to open the door. If you have to then make sure you use the child safety locks. The child-safety door lock allows you to control the use of the inside car door handle making it ineffective. Some cars come equipped, as standard, with this function. It is however best just not to leave the individual in the car alone. Caring for an Alzheimer patient does not mean enclosing your home like a prison, just by taking the necessary precautions you can make your job easier and also make the patient's life less stressful.
