My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

Question

My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

Follow

Share

The problem is that she thought there was an intruder in the house. She left the house without letting my father or I know. She was found by the neighbours whom brought her back to our home. Are there any products out there that would set a sound in the master bedroom or my phone when/if she walks out of the house without letting us know? Too many products and hard to choose from. Any recommendations would help. Thank you in advance.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Wandering Home Safety

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

45 Answers

Most
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First

I put a curtain up in front of my door and my mother has no idea there is even a door there.

Helpful Answer (9)

Report

There are door alarms that can be purchased. I picked mine up at a Home Depot.
However, what I found most useful were sleigh bells.
Dad had an antique ring of sleigh bells (from somewhere in his past) that I looped over the door.
He didn’t question it and my mother could hear those bells if Dad tried to open the door.

Bless you and good luck. The road you are on is not easy. Been there twice!

Helpful Answer (8)

Report

I had the same thing happen with my mom, except it was the State Police appearing at my door. I went out and bought door alarms for the outside doors and they would go off when she opened the door, so I could catch her before she got too far, but it's really no way to live. It was going off 2-3 times a night and she would wander into my bedroom and my kids'. And you always have to ask yourself "what if by some chance I don't hear that alarm?" There are woods, ponds, swamps and streams near my home, not to mention people drive very rapidly down our country roads. We finally had to put Mom into memory care.

Helpful Answer (6)

Report

Yeah, a friend of mine had his mother-in-law delivered back home more than once by the town police. My friend lived a miserable two to three years with mother-in-law living in his house. He finally convinced his wife to move her into a nursing home. I don't think my friend and his wife get along so good after those miserable years. It definitely took a toll on his health.

(2)

Report

Get a security door that needs a key to unlock. If she is anything like my Mom if the door is open she is gone! She could really move if given the chance.

I bought a mat that I placed outside her bedroom door that had an alarm. When she stepped on it the alarm went off. When the alarm went off she went back inside her room. A few minutes later she would forget about the alarm and step on it again. She never went passed the mat, just went back into her room. The alarm kept sounding until I turned it off. I later programmed it to play "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" for the humor of it.

You can buy inexpensive motion detecting security cameras that sound when motion is detected from a phone or tablet.

My Mom took the bracelet off as soon as I put it on, she also tore off a necklace that had info on it within 2 minutes. As careful as I was with her, she was a runner. After the bracelet and necklace didn't work, I put washable tattoos with her info on it on the back of her arm. She never got out but I wanted to be sure, if she did, she had info on her person at all times.

Helpful Answer (5)

Report

I purchased an inexpensive alarm system for our house. It works. It has wireless switches at the doors and a central unit that just plugs into a wall outlet and I also ordered a pager that goes with it. It is a local pager that I wore around the house. No service company involved. It worked for us. but you have to live in the house for you to be contacted. It has a list of other attachments that can be added to it, like mats and motion sensors.
I also installed some little flip locks on the doors and Luz never figured out how to use them.

Helpful Answer (4)

Report

Zmodo motion detection camera costs $30 @ Walmart.com. No monthly charge. Download app on your phone or as many phones as you like, and when motion is detected your phone will alert you. This had been great for my dad with dementia.

Helpful Answer (4)

Report

My son gave me one, and it works great!!!

(0)

Report

I've read (didn’t need to use) if you put a lock higher than normal, they don’t think to look up. We were going to do this on all the outer doors but my stepfather never wandered

Helpful Answer (4)

Report

We put in hook locks up high to keep my mom in. One night, she got up moved the dining room table (it took my dad and I both to move it back due to the weight) by herself half way across the room and climbed up to undo the lock. After a couple of times of this, dad was beside himself and we finally had to move her to a memory care unit down the block. Once that woman got out, she could move! Dad was losing sleep and literally aging before my eyes trying to take care of her. The move was the best thing for her and my dad. He would visit her for 8 hours a day and put her to bed every night but he was able to get sleep and do errands without the constant worry about mom. A horrible disease but the memory care unit my mom was in was a wonderful/caring facility that made the decision much easier. We were very lucky.

(3)

Report

When my friend, Beth, started to wander at night and needed 24 hour care, I hired an agency to provide that. But that cost $13,000 a month. I convinced her husband, Jim, that it was time to move to the memory care apartment I had found for them. That was about $10,000 a month for the two of them. I was lucky to have found a place that gives great care, pays attention to the needs of the people living there, and clues me in on their decline and what I should be ready for. The memory care floor is locked, of course, so no one can get in or out without a special fob to unlock a door. They had saved and invested enough money for me to do this as their POA for finances and medical care. Beth died after about 5 1/2 months there and her husband is still there in the same apartment almost 4 years later. He still receives good care and meals and is happy, except for missing his wife of 47 years. Each time I visit him, he reminds me that the only thing I have to do is live as long as he does. I always reply I am trying to do just that. They had no children or close relatives, so it was only a trusted friend who could play this role in their lives and we had been friends for over 40 years. We worshipped together, vacationed together and I worked in the same school with Beth for 18 years.
I am grateful for the guidance I have gotten in figuring out this care and that things went so well in taking on this responsibility.

Helpful Answer (4)

Report

Aznbobbo, that is scary when a love one wanders away from home, thank goodness a neighbour found her.

Here is simple suggestion. Put black rugs in front of the exterior doors, on the inside floor. To Mom, those black rugs may look like a dark hole in the floor, thus she may be afraid to step on it. This may or may not work. It's the less expensive thing to try.

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

Moms door had a round knob. So I bought baby covers. They just go around and around. Theres a way to open the door but Mom never found it. My cousin put dead bolt key locks on his doors. His Dad was never alone. After he passed, cousin had locks removed. Had to do with the fire code.

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

Great idea.

(1)

Report

See All Answers

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

45 Answers

Recent Questions

Popular Questions

Related Questions