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AGING
with an
Attitude
Called to
Wander
By Dorie U. Sugay
Dorie Sugay is the Executive Director
of Visiting Angels, a company that
provides living-assistance services to
seniors and adults-in-need who wish
to stay in their own home or receive
one-on-one care within a facility.
This article is for informational and
educational purposes only. It was
written independent of Visiting
Angels.
76
“ANXIOUS, HE SEEKS JOY EVERYWHERE,AND JOY ELUDES HIM AND FLEES,
A VAIN SHADOW THAT MOCKS HIS YEARNING AND FOR WHICH HE
SAILS THE SEAS.”
Song of the Wanderer, Jose Riza
“Y
earning” causes some
people with dementia to
wander. Visiting Angels’ first
dementia client was a male in his 80’s. He
lived in San Jose before moving to Gilroy.
Our caregiver worked with him only 3 days
a week. His daughter worked from home the
other days and cared for him. It took time
to realize that Charles had dementia — and
loved to wander. One afternoon, realizing
his daughter needed to relax, he assured
her that he would be fine if she took a hot
bath. What she didn’t know was that he had
plans of his own. Charles was “going home
to San Jose.” Charles’ daughter looked for
him for an hour and finally called the police,
then Visiting Angels. It just so happened
that we remembered him speak fondl y of a
small bar at the end of a country road. It was
three miles away and we doubted he could
walk that far — but, there he was, his thumb
up, trying to hitch a ride to San Jose.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association,
six in ten people with dementia wander.
What causes them to wander? Fear and
confusion are major culprits. Charles forgot
that he had moved in with his daughter.
Sometimes, when they feel or perceive
a threat, they wander to get away. A very
noisy environment, or a busy place like
a shopping mall, could raise anxiety that
they want to escape. Sadly, confusion can
complicate simple matters — they walk to
the mailbox, get distracted by a dog and
can’t remember that they had crossed the
street. The familiar neighborhood is now
unfamiliar.
Other causes for wandering include
feeling a need to fulfill an obligation —
they have to be at work, have to go to
G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E
MAY / JUNE 2015
help the neighbor, or need to see a cousin.
Or, perhaps they are called to be someplace,
usually a residence they remember, or a
workplace.
Other behaviors that suggest a person
with dementia is getting the call to wander
or the wandering has started include: 1)
going for a regular activity like a walk or
drive, or even just to the bathroom or the
garage and returning much later than usual,
but unable to explain what took so long;
2) acting lost not just in a new or changed
environment but in a familiar place; and 3)
expressing a feeling of not belonging where
they are.
How can you help reduce the tendency
to wander? Keep a balanced, settled”
environment. Daily routines that provide
structure are like anchors they can depend
on. Make routines simple and consistent:
same order of tasks. For example: if you put
his bath towel on a chair when he bathes,
don’t change that routine and hang the
towel on a rack – it can confuse them. If
you have a caregiver assist, make sure what
that caregiver does with him, the family
follows and vice versa. A picture of him
with the person (s) he lives with, in the
home he lives in, may remind him of where
he is. As the dementia advances, even using
the same words when giving instructions
make it easier. Their brain works better with
simplicity and consistency.
Some wanderers will push you to your
limits. What can you do? Some people
go as far as using camouflage – painting
the doors and door knobs the same color
as the wall or even covering them with
removable curtains or screens. You can use
childproof knobs, have a bell or alarm that
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