How do you care for a "wandering" loved one with dementia at night?

There are security measures that can be set up, like alarm on the bed, alarm on the doors, etc. I hope others will give more details on it. I haven't had to use them.

I think that I would explore having husband stay in a secure facility while you are out of town, if funds allow. When a dementia patient wanders, leaving them in the care of someone who is not used to supervising someone around the clock might be quite challenging. Are the new caretakers prepared to lose sleep for the length of your your trip? I would think that professionals might be more adept when security is a risk.

Jazzy, I would call a professional licensed caregiving Agency who can have 3 shifts of workers take care of your husband.   It depends if your budget could afford this.   The night shift is required to stay awake all through the night.   Usually the Agency has women or men who only do the night shift, thus have already had their sleep during the day.   If someone cannot make their shift, the Agency is usually pretty quick at finding a replacement caregiver.   It's something to think about.

Above Sunnygirl had a good idea, see if a local Assisted Living/Memory Care facility has "respite care" where hubby can stay while you are away.   Who knows he might enjoy his "vacation" while meeting new people his own age :)

My Mom was up all night. When I went out of town I took her to a facility for Respite Care and it worked out great. She did really well there. I think it was harder for me to leave her, than it was for her.

My husband has only wandered once and was all the way to the highway. This was during the day and I got him back safely My son immediately had dead bolt locks with a touch pad put on the inside of the outer doors. Those are locked whenever I'm upstairs in our 2 story house and at night. He doesn't know the combination and can't open them

Dear Jazzy,

I know our loved ones are not prisoners but for their own safety, can you install a bed alarm? Once they get out of bed, the alarm will go off. Nursing homes have this feature. Or is possible to install a lock on the door from the outside. Or putting a security camera of some sort into their bedroom or a baby monitor? I hope some of these suggestions are useful. I know its not easy.

Hi Jazzy2,

We've compiled an article of tips and tricks from members on how they handle wandering. This may be helpful as well. Check it out here: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/wandering-and-getting-lost-top-tips-from-dementia-caregivers-226186.htm

Kind regards,

The AgingCare Team

I agree that this is likely to be a challenge for temporary caregivers. Perhaps another possible solution would be to hire someone specifically for the night-shift in addition to other cover?

Sounds like your parent needs to be evaluated by his or her physician. They probably will need 24 supervision in a memory care center or nursing facility. Hugs

I hired the shift change type of caregivers- like said above the night time one stays up all night... it was SO helpful- when mom got up and was lost not knowing where she was... the lady gave her something to drink and cookie or showed her the bathroom and back to bed.

Some very good suggestions here! Thank you. I don't like to disrupt his routine and I know he would be comfortable with our usual caregiver but having another for the night might be a really good idea, as well as some of the devices mentioned here. Thanks.