The longer you work as a live-in carer, the more likely it is that you will have clients who suffer from Dementia. Unfortunately, this is becoming more prevalent.
One of the phases that people with Dementia go through is to wander. While to an outsider it looks as if they are simply wandering aimlessly about, this is not the case. Six in ten people who have Dementia wander.
Your client with Dementia may not remember their own name or where they live. They can become disorientated even in familiar places so wandering can be dangerous for them.
It is every carer’s nightmare that their client wanders off and they simply cannot find them.
Who is at risk for wandering?
Anyone who can walk and has memory problems is a risk for wandering. Even through the early sages of Dementia a person may become confused and get lost while they are trying to find something familiar.
There is a 60% chance that someone with Dementia will wander at some stage.
Why does wandering happen?
Because Dementia causes irreversible changes in the brain many sufferers get confused about where they are and where they are going. They may for a fleeting period know that they want to go to a specific place and a few minutes later have forgotten where that place is or even that they were going somewhere.
Trying to reach a place they knew before. Your client with Dementia may be trying to go somewhere like the grocery store at the end of the street, or to wait for the children at the bus stop.
Sundowner’s syndrome. This is a very real thing and if your client suffers from Dementia you should be particularly aware of this time of day. It has been shown that confusion peaks around sundown and this is the time when Dementia clients get restless and feel the need to ‘go somewhere.’ You may notice increased agitation and restlessness.
Medication. Some forms of medication for Dementia has the side effect of sleeplessness. Your client may want to wander because they are not tired and feel that they should be doing something else. Sleeplessness can affect disorientation and simply make wandering worse.
How to reduce wandering
Physical exercise
It has been shown that adding extra exercise during the day has slowed down wandering at night. You should confirm with your client’s doctor that this is acceptable and work out a system where you take your client for a walk. If you can keep them near you while you walk there is no reason to stay indoors. Even a walk to the end of the road will help with restlessness.
Secure the environment
Before you undertake anything to secure the place you are in you need to first speak to family or next of kin. They need to agree that you do this before you put any precautions in place. Locking doors that lead outside and then removing the keys will mean that your client at least stays in the house. Placing a motion sensor which lets you know that they are out of bed will let you know that your client is moving.
Use ID tags
If you cannot lock the outer doors- and even if you can, it is a good idea to have some form of identification on your client. A name tag sewn into a jacket is a good idea. You may have information like name and address with a telephone number placed in a wallet or purse. It is also a good idea to inform the local police and neighbours so that if they see your client wandering about, they can either call or bring them back home.
If you lose your client, you need to either call the police at once or get help if you have lost them in the supermarket. Ask for help from neighbours and certainly call the family to let them know.
To sum up
While this is often a very scary time for live-in carers, you can reduce wandering to a minimum and certainly stop your client from getting lost with a few precautions.
Make sure to get permission before you implement locking doors and removing the keys.
While this phase can be frightenng and frustrating, it does pass. It is one of the stages that your client with Dementia will pass through. Try to be patient with them as they are more frustrated and confused than you may realise.
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