I thought I had covered all bases for dealing with my husbands Alzheimer's but I missed one of the most important, which was having a tracking device on him. My DH wandered away from home on Monday and it was over 12 hours before the police located him. He has gotten agitated in the past and taken off on a walk but would return within the hour. He was very familiar with our area would walk around two or three block and then come home. When he didn't return after an hour I went looking but to no avail. I called my sons who immediately told me to call the police. I can't speak highly enough for the police and all the man power that was used to locate him. They used dogs and helicopters in the search. We live in a warm climate so luck was with us. Had it been extremely hot or cold the outcome could have been much different. When he was located after 9pm he was over 8 miles from home and been walking all that time. He told the officer his name address and phone number but had not the cognition to ask anyone for help. When asked where he was going he replied with, I'm going home. He was severely dehydrated and needless to say very sore. Please don't make the mistake I did and not have a tracking device on your loved one. There are many devices on the market but I have chose to go with Emfinders. The disease as we all know is so unpredictable that we must do everything to be ahead of the next crisis. I count my blessings today that he was found .
Oh, Marilynn, you must have been frantic! Thank God he was not hurt seriously. I haven't heard of Emfinders but will check into it. DH has never wandered, but you never know, do you?
Marilynn, I know how distressing it is to have your loved one wander off. My husband got lost when driving 2 years ago and was gone for 14 hours. Based on my credit card receipts and EZPass statement he apparently drove over 400 miles and was finally stopped by police going the wrong way through a toll booth. In my opinion, the electronic tracking device is a good step but not a solution to his wandering. Based on this event, it is clear that you husband should not be left alone and definitely should not take walks by himself anymore. I know how difficult this is to hear and it does change your lives, but he needs suoervision. The electronic tracking device is not a substitute for supervision and should only be used as a fail safe precaution. Be aware, many people cut the devices off.
LFL, are you the sister we "sat with" after your husband left your home in Georgia and was found hours and hours later in Tennessee? I remember that day and night so well. Everyone was worried and all we could do was wait. It's coincidental that this similar story is being posted now, because just this past week, I was telling another person about him leaving and being found in another state.
Marilynn, I cannot begin to imagine how frantic you were. We read too many stories about our precious lost souls being found in ditches and fields miles away from home.
Tracking devices are one option. What worked for me was activating a "ding dong" alarm on our security system that "ding-dong'ed" anytime one of our doors was opened. Of course, I was always at home - so I could hear this. Preventative idea rather than the prior idea. Wanderers sign their own "constant survelence orders". Once this happens, it will happen again and again. Nursing homes identify wanderers on their charts and usually they wear an ankle monitor that instigates an alarm when they walk through any doorway.
Just one more thing you have to worry about. I'm so sorry. Nancy*
Marilyn my husband was missing for over 24 hours. Had never driven off before. The police stayed camped out in my kitchen until they were contacted by police in another city. We were able to somewhat track him by credit card bills. Somehow they manage to keep one step ahead of us. I had copies of his license and car registration which helped tremendously. Wonder how many of us know our plate numbers. Glad he was found and safe.
If the security force here at our retirement facility didn't maintain a relationship with the police I can only shudder to think of how far DH would have gotten the day he decided to walk back to Illinois. (We live in Florida). The guard at the gate called the cops and asked if DH had been spotted. They answered that yes, an ambulance driver had reported a man standing at the highway looking disoriented just a few minutes before. Our guard hopped in a golf cart and went to bring him home. It was very scary and after that I didn't leave him alone at all until he entered the ALF.
This is the reason I can't leave dh alone and have to keep all doors locked. He has wandered or cycled off many times and has been brought home by the police (I think) 5 times. He usually walks in the same direction so they find him quickly but once last summer on his bike he was gone for seven hours and was exhausted and dehydrated. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he was put to bed and given IV. I found him myself by calling the hospitals. The policemen who apprehended him were on foot, directing traffic for a cycling event and had not received the alert. He does not blame me for locking the front door; but thinks it is a problem I might be able to solve. He will say, "Jeanette, we can't get out." Or something like "Come here and look, it's not good." He never tried to leave by the kitchen door but I keep that locked as well and have changed the place we used to keep the key, just in case he remembers it. Every time it happens I think it will be the last time I let him escape, so he doesn't need a tracking device. aND THEN it happens again and I'm so sorry I don't have one.
thank goodness we have all been lucky here and have found our spouses if they wander. with the technology nowdays there isnt a real reason not to have something in place. this is what AD does, strange notions that crop up at any moment and will surely catch us off guard. they may or may not wander but its a statistic that they do and will at some point. and the first time is just that - a first and we are always unprepared at the nervewracking experience that goes with losing them. mine wandered once over a mile before we found him. amazing how fast he could travel on foot and in the heat. we were lucky and once was enough for me. deadbolts meds whatever it took to deter the action. he worked tirelessly at times with a screwdriver trying to remove the bolts off the front bolted door. aww. but it is what it is. and safety comes at all cost.
NancyB*, no I am not the one you waited with, but I certainly would have loved having someone wait with me during the terrible ordeal. We are in the Northeast.
IF this ever happens again LFL, let us all know. I remember that day and night so well. Many were writing notes of encouragement, others were praying and when she could, she posted updates. It was so scary.
Then he was found.. somewhere in Tennessee...He was trying to drive to his son's home in Tennessee. Help me, all of you "old timers" on this site. Who was that? She lived near a national forest in Georgia and they were afraid he was lost in there, which would have been very serious, because the forest was so dense aircraft/helicopters would not have been able to spot him through the trees.
Can you all believe the dramas we live thorugh togetether.. If we wrote about these in a book, everyone would think it was fiction. Nancy B*
My hb doesn't walk well anymore, but some time ago (when he was walking), I put keyed deadbolts on outside doors. I put the Sprint family finder on his cell phone for a trial period, but realized that wasn't the answer for us.
Back in the old days (three years ago) the cell phone with its chaperone worked for us and helped me find my husband twice when he left the house. It went off so I saw where he was and when I called him, he answered the phone and I went and got him. I had keyed deadbolts on the doors after that, and everyone in the house (except him) had a copy of the key on their person at all times.
Now he is bedridden and we no longer need to keep the doors locked during the day. I highly recommend the keyed deadbolts for those of you whose spouses can walk. It is amazing how quickly they can get away. Picture a toddler when you turn your back - only adults take larger steps!!!!
I lost my husband at the Dallas airport after flying back from London. Even with all the security cameras, they couldn't find him. It was FIVE HOURS before they found him where I TOLD them to look - on the road going to the hotels!!!! He had taken a shuttle to the Hilton and looked for me there and when he couldn't find me, he started walking back to the airport! (Because it was an international trip, we didn't take our cell phones......never again!!!)
We have all been fortunate to recover our spouses.....
A few days ago a 86 year old man in our area "went missing" and has not been found yet. The authorities have announced on TV that if he had been wearing a bracelet that they can track he would likely have been found within a couple of hours. They said very few families take advantage of this "free" for now service in this area. Imagine the "guilt" his family will feel about not looking into this life-saving device for Alz. patients. I know many of you, me included, have said your spouse would not wear one. But perhaps now is the time to rethink the situation, if you think it remotely possible they could "escape".
This timely because I had a horrible dream last night that my husband got lost and no one could find him. I woke up in a panic and thank god he was asleep next to me. I am now exploring various tracking devices. The cellphone won't work because he is inconsistent in keeping it with him. I put a medical bracelet on him and he refused to wear it (broke it) so I seriously doubt he will wear the security bracelet the sherrif program has (they say a high number of people cut them off) but perhaps it's worth a try to have and keep in his pocket. A friend mentioned sneakers which have a gps in them. They're expensive to buy ($350) plus there's a monthly fee for the gps service but keeping my husband safe is priceless. There are other small gps devices on the market as well but they too are expensive to buy and the monthly gps service runs around $35/month.
My husband has been wearing the GPS bracelet now for about two weeks and I can't tell you peace of mind it has given me. He first said he would never wear it but when the DR explained to him how it would relieve stress for me he agreed to wear it. He can not remove it himself as it takes two hands to release the clasp. It's very light weight and he can shower with it on. I do pay a 25.00 monthly fee but it's worth every penny to know he can be found quickly should he ever roam again. I don't know anything about a free service. The device my dh is wearing is an EMFinders. Anyone interested can call 1 866 426 3386. The police told me the same thing you posted Imohr. They also stressed to me that many cases have a sad ending when the person is not found quickly due to high or low temps in the area.
The device available in our area can only be removed by the Police, as I understand. They now rely on donations to keep the service free except for batteries, I believe. It was 2 years ago that our local Police demonstrated how they located a person, by having one of our group go outside and hide the device for him to find.
We have the Medic Alert bracelets - both of us. No monthly fee, just yearly membership which I believe is around $39. Has their 800 # on it; all EMS' and police know about it and will call the 800# and will have the info on both him and I - in case something should happen to me! Also takes 2 hands to undo the clasp.