One of the worst scenarios for families caring for someone living with Alzheimer\u2019s disease is a loved one wandering or getting lost. It causes immediate panic and concern and unfortunately happens all too often. In fact, nearly 50 percent of some of these family members have experienced a loved one with Alzheimer\u2019s wandering or getting lost, according to a new survey conducted by Home Instead Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. Of those, nearly one in five called the police for assistance. To help families keep their loved ones safe, the Home Instead Senior Care network has launched a free tool, the Missing Senior NetworkSM, now available in the Sacramento region.<\/p>\n
Found at MissingSeniorNetwork.com, the platform enables family caregivers to alert a network of friends, family and businesses to be on the lookout for a missing senior. The service provides a way to alert the network of a missing senior via text or e-mail. Families can also choose to post an alert to the Home Instead Remember for Alzheimer\u2019s Facebook page, connected to 270,000 followers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese frightening occurrences lead families to call our office and ask for help,\u201d said Buck Shaw, franchise owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office in Sacramento and surrounding counties. \u201cThis resource was created to help Sacramento area families understand the risk of wandering and have a tool that empowers them to quickly take action if a loved one living with Alzheimer\u2019s or another form of dementia wanders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Missing Senior Network is part of Home Instead Senior Care network\u2019s new Prevent WanderingSM program, that includes resources such as insight into what may trigger wandering events, steps families can take to help keep their loved ones safe and tips on what to do if a wandering event occurs.<\/p>\n
According to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, anyone living with Alzheimer\u2019s or another form of dementia is at risk of wandering.<\/p>\n
\u201cWandering can happen at any time and not just on foot \u2014 someone in a car or even a wheelchair could wander,\u201d said Monica Moreno, director of Early Stage Initiatives for the Alzheimer\u2019s Association. \u201cA person may want to go back to a former job he or she had, even though that job may no longer exist. Or, someone may have a personal need that must be met. There\u2019s always a purpose and intent. It\u2019s just a matter of identifying the triggers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Family caregivers should be aware of the following common triggers that may cause someone with Alzheimer\u2019s or another form of dementia to wander:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Delusions or hallucinations \u2014 Those living with Alzheimer\u2019s or another form of dementia may misinterpret sights or sounds, causing them to feel fearful and wander to escape their environment. \u201cWe understand the topic of wandering is something many families coping with Alzheimer\u2019s disease or another form of dementia may avoid discussing,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cIt\u2019s important for families to understand the potential triggers for wandering and have a plan in place to help keep their loved ones safe.\u201d<\/p>\n For additional tips and program resources visit\u00a0PreventWandering.com<\/a>\u00a0or contact the local Home Instead Senior Care office serving the Greater Sacramento area to learn how family caregivers can help prevent and respond to wandering. To find a nearby office visit\u00a0homeinstead.com\/California<\/a>.<\/p>\n Signs someone with Alzheimer\u2019s might wander<\/strong><\/p>\n Those living with dementia, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease, could be at risk of wandering, which is why it\u2019s important to watch for these common signs.<\/p>\n 1. The disease itself. Anyone with dementia is at risk of wandering. This behavior can affect individuals in all stages as long as that person is mobile.<\/p>\n 2. Trouble navigating familiar places. A desire to get to a certain place could prompt individuals with Alzheimer\u2019s to go in search of where they feel they need or want to be.<\/p>\n 3. Talk about fulfilling nonexistent obligations. If Dad keeps discussing going back to work or Mom is talking about taking the baby \u2014 who is now an adult \u2014 to the doctor, a loved one could be at risk of wandering.<\/p>\n 4. Agitation during the late afternoon or early evening. Sometimes referred to as \u201cSundowning,\u201d individuals with Alzheimer\u2019s or other dementias often become agitated and restless, even pacing, as fatigue sets in and are at greater risk of wandering.<\/p>\n 5. Wanting to go home when they\u2019re already there. Individuals with Alzheimer\u2019s disease often go looking for home when they are already there.<\/p>\n 6. Unmet needs. If a loved one wants to go to the bathroom but can\u2019t find where it is, that individual is at greater risk of wandering.<\/p>\n To access the Missing Senior Network visit\u00a0MissingSeniorNetwork.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the worst scenarios for families caring for someone living with Alzheimer\u2019s disease is a loved one<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","darknews-slider-full":"","darknews-featured":"","darknews-medium":"","darknews-medium-square":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"News MoLo","author_link":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/author\/admin\/"},"category_info":"LifeStyle<\/a>","tag_info":"LifeStyle","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4913"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4913"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4914,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4913\/revisions\/4914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newsmolo.com\/EDC\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2. Overstimulation \u2014 Individuals living with dementia can become easily upset in noisy or crowded environments, triggering them to look for an escape from the chaos.
\n3. Fatigue, especially during late afternoons and evenings \u2014 Individuals living with dementia may become tired, causing restless pacing and eventually wandering.
\n4. Disorientation to place and time \u2014 Individuals may not recognize they are home and seek to return to a familiar place, such as a former workplace.
\n5. Change in routine \u2014 Individuals living with dementia may become confused following a change of routine, wandering in an effort to return to a familiar place.<\/p>\n