This time of year, in the northern part of the United States, presents dangerous conditions for Alzheimer’s patients who wander.  The weather is very unforgiving and most won’t survive if they’re outside very long.
I know first hand and was very fortunate when my mom disappeared one morning in December when the weather, with wind chill was below zero.  I thought she was comfortably in bed, and would only wander around her kitchen and living room if she arose while I slept nearby.
I awoke and found Mother wasn’t in the house.  I looked out the front door into the blowing snow and …read more

Frequently we read about Alzheimer’s patients who wander away from home or a nursing facility.  Fortunately, many of them are found before they die from exposure or other causes. 
My mom and aunt both wandered off, (on different occasions) trying to return to their girlhood home.  They were found shortly after they escaped from their caregivers.
A friend of ours was not so fortunate.  He left his wife at an appointment and failed to return for her.  Two weeks later his body was found in a woods about 100 miles from home.  He’d driven onto a woods road, gotten his car stuck …read more

Wandering and getting lost is a serious issue for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Some ways to minimize the risk of wanderiing include:
- conceal and/or camouflage doors
- install locks and alarm systems
- put labels on doors explaining purpose of room, ie bathroom, kitchen, bedroom
- figure out when wandering is most likely to occur and distract the person with activities during this time
- reassure them that they are in the right place
But if these simple measures fail or seem too restrictive, there is a much more technical way of keeping track of the Alzheimer’s patient – the Columba bracelet. It looks …read more

Imagine walking into a room that caters to all your senses. Maybe there is gentle music playing or the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling. You can smell fresh flowers or lavender. The walls are covered with large murals of forests, waterfalls, and gardens. And there are soft plush pillows and cushions scattered around to sit or lay on. There is nothing harsh or threatening in this room. It is a ’snoezelen room’.
Created in the Netherlands in the 1970s, these multisensory rooms were originally designed for children and adults with serious mental disabilities. The ideas was to provide a …read more

“I fed Esther her lunch.  Very difficult as she didn’t seem to care if she ate or not.  Patiently I worked at it and got her to eat quite a bit of chicken,” my mother wrote about a visit to see her sister in a nursing home.   
Recently I came across this letter my mom wrote me after her sister with Alzheimer’s could no longer live with her.  Mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s herself by that time.  After Auntie escaped from Mother’s home several times, we decided it was time she had more secure care.
Mother visited her sister frequently and …read more

Emergency preparedness can take on many meanings in the world of Alzheimer’s when you’re caring for people with this disease.
*Make sure you and your family members have made out a Living Will.  Then when a medical crisis arises and the Alzheimer’s patient can’t make a lucid decision (or any decision), you know what should be done.  You’re less likely to have a hassle from family or medical personnel.
My aunt didn’t have a Living Will.  When she could no longer swallow and a nasal tube wasn’t working for feeding, the medical personnel in charge asked my mom (her sister and closest relative) if she would …read more

When Jim and I moved Mother from her home in New York State, 275 miles to ours in New Hampshire, it was soon after New Year’s in 1992.  We’d planned to make the change toward the end of January, after we’d gotten our home ready. 
However, when I awoke Christmas morning (we were spending the holiday with her) and couldn’t find Mother, I became alarmed.  I looked out the front door and then the back, called and called.  I got Jim up and we scurried through the house.  No Mother.  Then we began piling on our outdoor clothes to venture into the …read more