Mom has dementia and tries to leave the home or at least open the front door. Tips?

There are some inexpensive caps that you can put on doorknobs that are designed so children cannot open the doors and works for elderly that do not have hand strength. That may be all you need. Or what about a two sided deadbolt and put the key somewhere other than in the door?

It is OK to lock them in if you are there. BUT if you lock them in and leave the house, APS will be on your doorstep. Mom can no longer be alone at any time, for any reason. Start looking into memory care facilities.

My mother has AD and used to wander. We're living together now. I had a handyman put a lock on the very top of the door where she won't notice and can't reach. For extra assurance, I bought the 5 Star Alert (works with GPS) and hang it around her neck. It has an app for my smartphone that shows you where they're located at any time in use.

I got this battery operated device that mounted on the door frame to prevent this very thing with my grandmother. If the front door is opened, it gives off an alert. It also has an on/off switch so you can disable it if you need to. It worked very well. I don't know what the name of this kind of device is, but they're common. Good luck. :-)

I definitely meant to lock them in only if you are there!

Depending on where your front door is located, what about a door bell mat that is on the floor in front of the inside of the door... it will ring when your Mom steps on it to get to the front door.... don't know if that would startle her or if she would get use to the ring. But it will let anyone else in the house know your Mom is near the front door.

The child-proof door knob covers are a good idea. GladI'mHere, that's an excellent idea. If she can't figure them out? Problem solved. If she CAN figure them out, I'd go with the double bolt with a key inaccessible to her but readily available to anyone else in the home.

Just FYI, in most jurisdictions, if the ONLY lock on a door is a double-bolt, that is against code. That door should have a thumb lock on the door knob as well.