Dementia Elopement Safety

Safety is an ongoing issue for those with dementia and caregivers often struggle with methods to prevent wandering or elopement outside the home.

The lack of safety awareness in persons with dementia is caused by the disease which impacts many areas, including insight and judgment.  Feeling confused or lost, combined with low safety awareness can have dangerous consequences.

Attempting to exit from the home is common for persons with dementia in the mild to middle stages.  So what can a caregiver do to make things safer and prevent elopement?

First, you need to do a physical assessment of your home and property.  Do you have a fenced in yard?  A locked porch door?  Anything that will deter the person with dementia from getting too far if they do exit the home.

Installing locks in higher than normal locations on your exit doors will also be of help.  Usually the person with dementia will be trying the knob and won't notice a higher placed bolt.  Putting in a simple door alarm that is triggered when the door is open will also be helpful.

The best strategy of all is to try to disquise doors whenever possible.  This sounds difficult but actually can be accomplished by using either wallpaper or paint to have the door blend into the rest of the home environment.

What techniques have you used to prevent elopement?  Please share your thoughts with us.

Comments

[Bob]

During my father's ALZ, I was told that a black rug just outside the door would stop his wandering. That in later stages, it looks like a hole in the ground and he would not step out "into" it. We also put a plastic red STOP sign on the inside of the door.

[Sue Lanza]

Bob: Thanks for that great suggestion about the black rug! Yes, with depth perception problems as part of the disease process, putting something dark like a floor tile design or a rug in front of a door can help deter someone from going forward.

The mesh ribbons and stop signs across the doors have found mixed results. Some people swear by them but others say they are more of an attraction rather than a deterrent.

Another idea someone told me was to put an "Out of Order" sign or "Under Construction" sign on the door. This may work for those with dementia who are still able to process the written language.

Thanks for sharing!

Sue