I thought t was very helpful and informative. I just went out of state to visit my stepmom in the memory care unit, and although it kind of reminded me of a prison with the security code up on the wall to get in and out, it was needed. She talked all the time of getting out and getting her car. I can't blame her, I'd want to go home too, but for her it wouldn't be safe. Good information! Thanks.

My GFs father had an ankle bracelet supplied by the police. He liked to take walks.

I hope you are putting all your knowledge down on paper Rick.... you need to be writing a book mate!!!

Great information . My mother is one of those who started wondering even in her moderate stage of her Dementia . She is in Assusted Living with Memory Care and when I talk to her caregiver , she. Is telling me that some of the nights she wKes up and wander around , but she goes back to sleep again.

I know of a person wondering cause the bathroom light was not on in the bathroom like it usually was, but the light was on inside the house by the front door. The person was asleep looking for the bathroom following the light and ended going outside looking for the bathroom and then kept on walking in their sleep.They ended up wetting themselves cause they could not find the bathroom.They went up steep hills and all over just trying to find the bathroom. Then they woke up an were to say the least very confused far away from home.

You have to remember that a person with dementia has a distorted mind so alot of the times they will go to a place that they are familiar with. They will keep long term memory but lose short term. Wandering also keeps them from feeling confined to one area especially if that person constantly stayed on the go. You just want to make sure the person is safe and comfortable because alot of the times they lose the sense of danger and delayed reaction time.

I forgot to add to my comment that she is 88 years old

My wife has lived in our house for 41 years and has forgotten her childhood home. So she feels safe. She will wander out to the attached garage and get in the car waiting to be taken for a ride. There is a pocket door to the garage I can lock with the lock on the other side. I can open it with a screw driver. The front door is locked with a deadbolt requiring a key to open. If there were a fire, she does know how to open the patio door to the back yard, which is about 15 feet from where she sits at the kitchen table with the TV on. So if there were a fire, she could get out. If she did get out, she could not open the back yard gate, so she would be safe in the yard, but it is unlikely she would leave the patio. If it was cold, she would not go outside. She has a care giver all day and is never left alone longer than an hour and if I go down stairs in the basement, I cna hear her move upstairs. I still check on her every 30 minutes. Since she is feeble, she does not like to get out of her chair anyway. It is a padded office type chair with arms and is very stable. So, hopefully I have the wandering problem solved with her. Also she never gets out of bed at night and besides it is difficult for her.

REPEAT REPEAT: Remember, if your loved one has never wandered, you need to think, "They haven't wandered yet."
Quoting E Brackey:
By far, the most serious danger posed in the earlier stages of the Alzheimer's disease is when the individual may decide they want to go for a walk, go searching for "home," or maybe just walk outside to get the paper. In a restaurant they may go to a rest-room. When they turn around, the place they expect to see is gone and they find
themselves standing helplessly confused what they see is totally unfamiliar to them.

Very insightful article. My Mom was always trying to get back to her husband and dog on their boat so they could all sail happily away. Excellent advice to take what your loved one says or does seriously because everything they do is trying to tell you something.