I couldn't find any listing for wandering, so will start one. My wife is in stage 4-5 AD. Today, while I was on the telephone, she disappeared. Fortunately we live in a retirement home, and the outside temperature is 23 degrees, so I assumed she would stay inside. After running around a lot looking for her, the receptionist told me she was at the desk. She cannot give me any explanation as to why she wandered off, where she went, or how she planned to get back to our apartment. (I'm quite sure she could not have found it) Does anyone know of some type of alarm I could put on the door so I know if she leaves? How have others handled this problem?
There are alarms available, exactly for the purpose you describe. www.colonialmedical.com is one source among many that sell door alarms. Joang may have some other leads posted on the main webpage.
I don't know about alarms. But I did read on another site that putting child protection covers on your door knobs can work to keep an AD person inside. My friend had her mother put it on their doors and it has been successful at keeping her AD father inside.
You have to squeeze and turn them at the same time to open the door. So, many AD patients have trouble working them. People on the other site were using them to keep their LO in a particular bedroom at night so that they could sleep without worrying about them falling down stairs or getting out of the house.
Leighanne, That is so awesome. The idea to use child protection first has to be a good idea and probably alot less expensive. My daughter said Babys R Us has a full line of child/protectors alarms, stove, etc. We can at the time try these first. Emily I saved that web site on my favorites, Maybe needed later. To both of you ; Thanks for sharing. Pat
Oh and Marsh, Hope these girls have helped you and will be praying for you that your wife will settle down and not wander away from you again. Thank God you are in that retirement apt settings to make it a little more safe.
First of all, register your wife with Safe Alert, if you have not already done so. This is the link: http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_medicalert_safereturn.asp It is a national registry - you can read all about it at that link.
I am working hard to get the "safety section" of my Amazon store up and running, as some other Health Care product stores.
You can put locks as high as possible on the door to the outside. You may have noticed that AD patients rarely look up. You can open them, she will not. Or put 2 locks on the door, that's usually too much for them to figure out. Also, put a dark rug--black if possible, at the threshhold. Most AD patients will not step on something dark, it looks like a hole to them. Or disguise the door with some sort of picture or even wall paper. Don't forget windows.
But the suggestions about childproof locks is great and, absolutely, get a medic alert bracelet she can't take off. Just last week the sister of Joe Louis (boxer for you young uns) was found dead outside of her care facility in the snow. It happens all the time that AD patients walk out in the snow.
I had double dead bolts put in all doors i need to close at different times. front door/bedroom doors. make sure they are dead bolts with key entries so you can actually lock it from inside if you decide to use the locks directly on the door. i used other options and husband picked at them for hrs til he figured it out with the dead bolts he just rattles the door off/on but i know hes safe. yes register your wife with SAfe Alert with the alz assoc. they give you a bracelet for her to wear just in case. you will learn you cant leave them alone due to wandering. i found out the hard way in dept stores/airports etc they disappear SOO fast. good luck,
When wife M and I are out in public, I hold her hand to keep her from wandering away. I put chain locks on the outside doors because she can't figure out how the chain latch works. I lock rooms of the house that I don't want her to enter. I put a strip on duct tape on the refrigerator door when I have to leave the house for an hour or so. Its so sad seeing how she can't figure out such simple restraints.
I found a product at the Dollar Tree for a dollar. There are two pieces that align on the door. They are attached by adhesive strips. The batteries came with it. When the door is opened a loud piercing noise goes off. There is also a on-off switch on it. It was real easy to install. I put it high up on the door as my husband went out side in the cold a couple of times. Fortunately he knocked to get back in. It was in the middle of the night and he had locked himself out. The product is called Intrud alert. I couldn't believe it worked so well for a buck. You can put it on doors,windows, and cabinets. Its not real big either only about a inch and a half each piece.