As you all know, I have a key-lock doorknob on the bedroom door to keep my husband in our bedroom/bathroom during the night, so he won't wander and get into things. The doorknobs on the ship are not round ones, but the lever type, so the childproof cover won't work. Any ideas?
Mary i have seen portable locks to use on hotel room doors...maybe someone else has ideas too. i sure hope you dont have a balcony room on the ship..that would scare me silly...esp with all thats been happening on the cruise news lately! you watch him like a hawk onboard:) and be sure to email us and give us updates!! those of us stuck and unable to travel will live vicariously thru yall! divvi
Joan, if you find a way, please share it with me!!! <grin> You DO realize that we are going on the cruise line that has the BEST FOOD at sea, don't you? I guess I will have to lose even more when we get home!
Yes, my daughter is coming and we'll both be in the room with him at night and at least one of us will be with him at all times during the day. The problem is that when we are both asleep, should he get up and try to get out, how will we hear him? We can put furniture in front of the door, but I was hoping for a portable lock of some kind to put up high and an added precaution.
someone needs to be with your husband at all times. a new experience, a new environment, new sounds, new people. your husband needs a wide awake person at his side 24/7. even when he is asleep. perhaps letting the medical folks on ship know of your husband's diagnosis may be an extra set of eyes.
Carrollouise, it is the Caregiver Cruise we will be on. My 45 year old daughter or I or both of us will be with him at all times. We will probably take turns sleeping in front of the door at night! <grin> thank you for your comments.
MARY!!! go to walgreens.com and search for ZELCO travel door lock...its 24.99...says it can be used for hotel rooms/dorms/ any left or right side lock door and installs easy. maybe this would work!!! if i were going i would get one...you maybe could google the manufacturer zelco and ask them bout the cabin doors??? trying to help! divvi
I know there are alarms you can purchase that make a noise if someone tries to get into or out of the door. One of my online friends used one when he traveled with his AD wife. I think he bought it at Radio Shack.
Mary I know you'll have a wonderful time on the Cruise and we'll all be green with envy:)
Regarding locking of your state room door ..... not wanting to be a downer but I'm thinking the Cruise Line would not be very happy to have you putting an additional locking mechanism on the door ..... if for no other reason than safety and liability. Perhaps you may want to contact the Cruise Line to let them know you husband wanders and ask for their assistance .... that way you're not jeopardizing anyone nor breaking any rules ....... just a thought.
Bar-bra, thank you! And thank all of you for your thoughts and ideas. Divvi, the review for the Walgreen one said it didn't work after the second or third time and he didn't recommend it. PatB, I don't think my husband could figure this one out, so I'm ordering it.
I won't be adding anything that puts holes in walls or doors or mars the finishes of anything, I don't think I need to notify the Cruise ship on that. I have already told them that my husband has Alzheimer's, and this is the caregiver cruise, so they are aware of the possibility of all of them doing so. I DO appreciate your concern! Thank you all again! - Mary
my Dw is a wanderer and can/has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Am I correct assuming that going on a cruise with her, with no additional support would be a high risk venture. I don't anticpate problems on a late night flight departure (Ambien & Ativan)
I took my husband on two cruises several years back (after dx). However, and this is a biggie, he was NOT a wanderer. He shadowed me constantly and so there was no worry that he'd get lost. In my mind, taking someone who has a tendency to disappear from sight frequently would be nerve wracking, to say the least.
mine was a wanderer and can disappear in a flash. our last trip we went on a cruise and the only way i agreed to go was his brother and my sis inlaw shared help in keeping him under vigil eyes. i could turn around and he'd be missing. its quite alarming for them to go missing on a cruise liner. esp at night. if they have to go to bathroom you must be there they can get very disoriented. and esp if you leave the ship or tours etc. they can get separated. put ID on them for sure and at all times. cabin numbers, shipname and your contact. we also got separated on an elevator in the ship. not good. he got off on a floor and it took forver to find him. in airports is another high risk. never let them out of your sight for any reason. personally i would never to it without extra help so i could relax some as well. if i was by myself i could have never closed my eyes. take something to be able to lock your cabin door at night so she cant get out and heaven forbid if you have a balcony cabin take precautions.
Not worth the anxiety ..thanks for confirming my fears... Marilyn, Dw is my shadow and she wanders which is a big problem. She cannot walk in front of me and will not walk along side of me. She will only follow me and lacking eyes in the back of my head checking her location, making sure she's behind me every few paces is necessary. Emptying the dishwasher with my shadow behind me is keeping Bed Bath & Beyond thriving replacing broken plates and glasses. The condo assoc. is doing extensive concreted work this summer. Jack hammering and drilling dictate evacuation when they are working near our unit. A better idea may be just heading down to the Keys or going over to Captiva grabbing a motel room hang out on the beach and eat well for 1/4 the price of going to Europe
Nelsons--we have had previous posts here about why dementia patients walk behind the caregiver vs beside them. If I remember correctly, the brain may lose the ability to process peripheral vision, so in order to see you, she needs to be behind you. I remember those days and the feeling I was going to get whiplash from turning around to see if he was there. Once, I wasn't vigilant when we were in Kohl's and when I did turn around, Steve was following another woman approx my height and hair color! That made me realize I needed to keep a better eye on him.
Good idea to plan on leaving during the concrete work--the noise and commotion may upset your wife.
A month ago I took my dh on a cruise. He is not a wanderer, but I never let him out of my sight. The really good news was that he seemed almost better then when he is home. I did place furniture in front of the door to the balcony. It would be very very difficult for someone to get over the glass enclosure on the balcony because it is very high and no way to get footing to climb over. Of course, a watchful eye is always necessary regardless of any type of travel. My dh also is one of the ones that always walks behind me and that makes it very difficult to watch him. The one thing he did do that was very upsetting was not get on the elevator when I did. I thought he was right behind me and the door shut before he got on. Enjoy yourself and I don't think you will have any major problem with two people watching him at all times.
Nice to have good friends... I mentioned my dilema friends several of whom are snowbirds living in nearby buildings. We have a mutual sharing network with our neighbor buildings for Tai Chi, Yoga, weight training or Aqua Aerobic exercises (know to the males as "the dance of the hippo's" - you get to know your neighbors .. I now have more offers of apartments to use during the day so that we can come home to familar quarters at night if we choose to or to use the entire summer. Now the problem is making a choice... all our problems should be resolved so easily. I don't think I'd find much pleasure in a cruise, too much anxiety keeping an eye on "the wanderer"
MarilyninMD, Kohls store layouts not ususally a problem searching up and down the aisles. I have now ceased shopping in Target Stores.. too many aisles end in a blank wall, she can do her disaapearing act there all too well.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll repeat myself for any who haven't seen it. I take a picture of my wife with my cell phone everytime we leave the house. That way, no stress if she's lost and the authorities ask: "what was she wearing, what does she look like?" I just pull up the photo I don't have to depend on my memory which tends to be worthless in times of panic This worked like a charm when a few weeks ago while at a large famer's market she disappeared. The police were able to transmit the photo to others at the market and she was located in just a few moments.
MarilyninMD, found the privious posts - Quite an emotional impact on me to see posts from 2008 from so many who no longer join in the discussions and to wonder what trails they have endured and how they are doing now
This might be a very easy solution to the door problem. If you have or can find one of those bell hangers that are on a strip ....usually they have them at Christmas time...but, you could easily make one with some heavy string or rope with several bells on the string/rope and hang it on your door....so that if it is opened it would certainly alert you. You can get some large size bells at any craft store. I have one that I put on the door at Christmas time and I may take that with me the next time we travel....if we do.
I used bells on the door before moving Jeff to the ALF. At hotels, I would place a chair or side table in front of the door. First of all, with the furniture there he wouldn't think of it as an exit, and secondly, even if he did he'd have to bang around enough moving the furniture that I'd wake up.
Nelsons--I've been here since 2008 and yes, there has been a lot of turnover. Many have lost their LO's; some surface now and again to tell us how they're doing.
Dh and I used to cruise a lot. Because he got ill last fall, I canceled the cruise we had planned for Nov. -- it would have been our first alone. I also canceled on for Jan. that I had booked for us with my sister and BIL.
I wouldn't cruise alone with him. He's not so much a wanderer, though he has wandered off a few times while we're shopping. I just would prefer an extra set of eyes, hands, etc. Also - he doesn't talk a lot, so it's nice to have others for some dinner conversation!
We do go up to Disney quite a lot. They have companion bathrooms, so I never have to let him go into the men's room alone. We only go to shows or things we can do together.