Dementia Wandering

The story begins with a dementia caregiver's greatest fear--a loved one who's wandered away from home--and ends in a compassionate display of validation therapy.

People with Alzheimer's disease who have wandered away from home is one of a caregiver's biggest concerns. GPS shoes give caregivers a new way track Alzheimer's wanderers.

Any Alzheimer's and dementia caregiver is aware of the risk of their loved one wandering. The issue of wandering is one of the most expensive and life-threatening situations in the United States. Public safety workers and emergency response teams recognize this growing problem. Now there are services with tracking devices for families of loved ones that face this risk.

Behavioral disturbances are common in dementia patients, however, dementia can still occur without any behavioral disturbances at all.

During middle-stage dementia, people may experience more memory loss and changes in behavior, meaning they need more assistance with activities of daily living.

Adult day care staff members are trained to handle dementia behaviors, including: anxiety, hallucinations, wandering and aggression.

Changes to the brain can cause sleep problems in elderly adults with dementia, and sleep loss can further worsen dementia symptoms.

Dementia caregivers are often anxious about their aging loved ones’ ability to attend an adult day center. Fortunately, there are adult day care programs that provide specialized services and activities for seniors with cognitive impairment.