Wandering and Getting Lost: A Serious Problem

Plymouth, MN Man Lost During Daily Walk

Did you know that 60% of people with severe memory loss will wander away at some point.  Of these 50%, those not found within 24 hours will not survive.  Some family members assume that because a loved one has never given any reason to indicate they would wander, that he or she wouldn’t.  But it only takes the first time.

The owner of Seniors’ Choice at home tells about the father of his Pastor who loved to take a morning walk.  As his dementia worsened, he continued to take the same path each morning.  One day he didn’t return as expected by 9 or 10 am.  His wife called her son who in turn alerted police and fire department.  As they searched throughout the day and called out for him, they would learn where he had stopped at various restaurants for water. 

Late that same evening, a neighbor who lived across a marsh from the gentleman and his wife, knowing about his disappearance, had some odd urge to go out on her back deck and call,”  Are you out there?”  Amazingly, she hear his calm voice answer her back, “Yes, I’m out here.”  The searchers had not seen where he had turned off into the marsh.  It took three or four firemen to pull him out of the mud where he had become stuck.  Amazingly, the worst of his experience seemed to be numerous mosquito bites.

Please do not assume a loved one will not wander away just because he or she has always been a homebody, or because he or she has never given any indication of wandering.  Check with your local Alzheimer’s Association about the Safe Return Program.  Look into some of the new technology that aids in locating lost persons.  An organization like Seniors’ Choice at Home (website:  www.seniorschoicemn.com, phone:  763-546-1599) can provide Senior Care, so that family care givers can have a break.  Sometimes a nap once in a while is badly needed.