My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

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My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

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The problem is that she thought there was an intruder in the house. She left the house without letting my father or I know. She was found by the neighbours whom brought her back to our home. Are there any products out there that would set a sound in the master bedroom or my phone when/if she walks out of the house without letting us know? Too many products and hard to choose from. Any recommendations would help. Thank you in advance.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Wandering Home Safety

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Aznbobbo, if you have a store called Harbor Freight near you, they have door and window alarms for about 5 bucks for a 2 pack. Batteries included. I was in there today and saw them.

For the price and being battery operator I thought it would be worth a try. You might be able to order online.

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HOLA CHICA,
Glad your loving dear mother is ok, thank the lord.
I would tie a bell around her (my mom does not have this dementia/alz.)but i would or something like a bell feasibly by the door, alarm, and or something by her side of the bed, for my dad to hear etc.al., but again mom is alright, she does not have that praise God.
and i pray for your mother.
My father has dementia, diagnose 2 and a 1/2 years ago. Doing alright most days and nights, thank GOD, and has not wander off ever, but gets up at night more than he used to, but he is hanging in there, doing better dr. say than most.
I pray for your mother(and her caretaker, you.)

adios.

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Brought locks on Amazon. I’m at home 24/7 so we’re both locked in. I rather have locks than jumping up and trying to run after her, done that a few times after the police brought her home. I refuse to sleep one eye open every night, I need my sleep to be able to function. This stuff is already exhausting. So now she is safe and I’m safe and all is well.

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Ditto. We changed the locks to key in and key out and kept keys with us. In case of fire this is not ideal but for keeping track of your mom... worked for us

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Could you explain "key in and key out?" Tia.

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@ Upstream: Oops. Forgot to mention that I'm 24/7 caregiver. She lives with my family and I take her home occasionally for visits. If there's a fire 🔥 I'll throw her over my shoulder like a sack of taters and run like... you get the he picture. 😁

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Oh my gosh, unless she can be watched 24/7 she needs more than home care. This is a safety issue. It’s too stressful to be a caregiver in this situation without having help. Please enlist help if she remains at home. Have you spoken to her physician to see what he/she recommends? Best of luck to you. Hugs!

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My mother is in a senior residence memory care unit. The doors are locked and she wears a tracker anklet that sets off an alarm when she approaches any of the doors.

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I believe that she needs more care than her home can offer because you're not trained medical professionals. She needs care at one of the many different options out there. Good luck. God bless you.

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I’m not a fan of the floor mat by her bed because she may need to get up for reasons other than walking out of the house during the night, I.e. use the bathroom, get a drink of water, etc. We decided to put a motion sensor just outside my dad’s bedroom doorway so he could be in his room without setting off alarms but if he leaves his room while we’re sleeping, the alarm which sounds like a doorbell goes off right where we are. And the alarm is portable if you use batteries instead of plugging in. We test it about every six weeks just to be sure the batteries have not died. The motion detector can be mounted at floor level near door frame or above the door frame. It is a great system and as a back-up, we have a front door alarm mounted on the frame in case the door opens. It’s loud and annoying but would wake you up. Motion sensor and chime/alarm was under $70 I believe.

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It seems like it’s time for a memory care unit. It’s not safe for her, not healthy for you.
I think people look at this whole situation so emotionally, they don’t really think it thru. Would they decide to operate on their loved one? Prescribe medication for them? Then why have them in an unsafe environment where they aren’t getting the professional level of care they need? You aren't putting them in jail, you are putting them in a facility that is particularly suited to care for someone with their particular problem. The staff is educated so they can best care for their needs. Not to be blunt but family aren’t most of the time.

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Yes, there are numerous! We used some cheapo ones that were magnetic (worked on doors and windows) and made a God-awful noise when the door/window was opened. Also, I put those little hook and eyes at the top of each door so it couldn't be opened. Learned this trick many years ago when raising twins, who were houdinis, and since my Mom was only 5 feet tall it worked for her too!

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For less $15 you can buy alarms that fit at the top of the doors and windows. When opened they sound off. You can put licks at the top of the doors too.

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All these answers are great. I have used them all. I also added door alarms that work great and I got them from a dollar store. I even had to put them on her window. I was afraid to use locks because she also started fires. I didn't want to not be able to get out fast if we had to. It was hard to do this by myself, so I alerted all my neighbors about Grandma. I went to each door, gave out pictures, phone number, and cookies, explained about her dementia and her escape issues. I just asked them to call me if they see walking down the street

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When my friend, Beth, started to wander at night and needed 24 hour care, I hired an agency to provide that. But that cost $13,000 a month. I convinced her husband, Jim, that it was time to move to the memory care apartment I had found for them. That was about $10,000 a month for the two of them. I was lucky to have found a place that gives great care, pays attention to the needs of the people living there, and clues me in on their decline and what I should be ready for. The memory care floor is locked, of course, so no one can get in or out without a special fob to unlock a door. They had saved and invested enough money for me to do this as their POA for finances and medical care. Beth died after about 5 1/2 months there and her husband is still there in the same apartment almost 4 years later. He still receives good care and meals and is happy, except for missing his wife of 47 years. Each time I visit him, he reminds me that the only thing I have to do is live as long as he does. I always reply I am trying to do just that. They had no children or close relatives, so it was only a trusted friend who could play this role in their lives and we had been friends for over 40 years. We worshipped together, vacationed together and I worked in the same school with Beth for 18 years.
I am grateful for the guidance I have gotten in figuring out this care and that things went so well in taking on this responsibility.

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Buy a bed side floor mat alarm. Be sure to get one where the alarm sounds in your room or your fathers, if they don't share a room. When your mom get's up and stands on the mat it will go off in the room where the alarm is. It can run on batteries or you can also by an adaptor so you can plug it in. I use both. The alarm is portable so you can take it out to the living room and still know when she gets up. There is a few second delay but it's nothing to worry about. I bought mine on Amazon (approx. $178). It has beveled edges. Again be sure to get one that the alarm is in a different room and not the room where the mat is.
I've also heard if you put black mats in front of doors, they think it's a hole, due to depth perception being off, and they won't cross it. Also, I heard a poster hanging on the door is a good deterrent.
We put a double sided lock on the front screen door. It has to be opened by a key to come in or go out. I know some think its unsafe but its more unsafe if mom get's out and no one knows about it. We keep a key hidden close buy. This way she can still look outside but can't go out. Hopefully some of these ideas help. All my best.

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My niece and nephew, both physical therapists who work with Alz patients, told me to put either a mirror or a big picture of a book case on the inside of the door bc Alz patients will not walk through the door if they do not recognize it as a door (picture of bookcase) or if they see someone (their reflection-will not recognize themselves) standing in front of them. I am worried about my mother exiting the doors to outside, as well, and wander, like your mother did. Hope this helps and I pray it works. Please keep us all posted if you try this. Best wishes.

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excellent advice!

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I am glad that your neighbor found your mom and knew where to bring her to.
My mom does the same thing. I have found her in our garage at 2am because she needed to catch the bus to get on the boat. Something from her younger days. So to fix the problem, I got a motion detector that I put in our hallway, with the alarm in our bedroom, so if she goes down the hallway it goes off and it wakens me. I also have a baby monitor in her room, so I can watch her. Our sliding glass door has a lock on the top that she cannot reach so she cannot get out at night. These all good ways we keep her in. We also pad lock our gate so she cannot get out too. All these things to keep her in and she gets angry and tells me I am keeping her prisoner and keeping her from her family. That's ok. Main thing is she is safe and not out wandering the neighborhood getting lost or risking a fall on the sidewalk. Motion detectors can be bought on Amazon and so can the baby monitor. Doesn't have to be fancy, just something basic. I love mine. All things in place, doesn't work if systems not turned on. She hasn't noticed the motion detectors or the baby monitor in the room, so we are good there. Take care and God bless.

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That sounds really complicated - can't you get it all simplified, for everybodys benefit? How about the suggestion below, from Dexieboy?

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Our and Mother's house both have double locks on the doors. Plus at Mother's, we installed a simple hook and eye latch up high, that she can't reach, on the screened doors. She slips out when I'm distracted preparing supper. A couple times I found her walking up the street, and another time on the ground in the back yard trying to holler for help. She told me she doesn't like it, and I told her I didn't like finding her on the ground. 😕

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How would she escape a fire?

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we have a double door lock. the lower one that can be unlocked by your fingers and the keyed deadbolt which can only be opened by a key. my mom is adept at opening doors so we key it locked and remove the key and put the key in another location. all of our doors are keyed to the same lock. i have a safety lock on the sliding door to the back yard as well as a broom stick in the track that she doesn't seem to notice. Yes i agree the biggest scare is when you wake up and they are not in their beds or the house. This has happened to me and i found her in the front passenger seat of my car wanting to take a trip.

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You can buy a super cheap tracker If your mom can wear that interacts with your phone that will help you locate her if something happens. In the hospitals, If they put alarms on their legs if they get out of bed. Can you lock her in her Room At bedtime?

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We put a house alarm with adt I believe and it goes off whenever someone tries to leave. It helped us. Good luck

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A security door with a special lock and key likely the only answer here.

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I had the same thing happen with my mom, except it was the State Police appearing at my door. I went out and bought door alarms for the outside doors and they would go off when she opened the door, so I could catch her before she got too far, but it's really no way to live. It was going off 2-3 times a night and she would wander into my bedroom and my kids'. And you always have to ask yourself "what if by some chance I don't hear that alarm?" There are woods, ponds, swamps and streams near my home, not to mention people drive very rapidly down our country roads. We finally had to put Mom into memory care.

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Yeah, a friend of mine had his mother-in-law delivered back home more than once by the town police. My friend lived a miserable two to three years with mother-in-law living in his house. He finally convinced his wife to move her into a nursing home. I don't think my friend and his wife get along so good after those miserable years. It definitely took a toll on his health.

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Get a security door that needs a key to unlock. If she is anything like my Mom if the door is open she is gone! She could really move if given the chance.

I bought a mat that I placed outside her bedroom door that had an alarm. When she stepped on it the alarm went off. When the alarm went off she went back inside her room. A few minutes later she would forget about the alarm and step on it again. She never went passed the mat, just went back into her room. The alarm kept sounding until I turned it off. I later programmed it to play "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" for the humor of it.

You can buy inexpensive motion detecting security cameras that sound when motion is detected from a phone or tablet.

My Mom took the bracelet off as soon as I put it on, she also tore off a necklace that had info on it within 2 minutes. As careful as I was with her, she was a runner. After the bracelet and necklace didn't work, I put washable tattoos with her info on it on the back of her arm. She never got out but I wanted to be sure, if she did, she had info on her person at all times.

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You can also get a bracelet from the police department that is mointed.

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Keep in mind, not all police departments have these
bracelets. No agency here does.

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Cardinal Gates Door Guardian or a bed alarm booth from Amazon. I had the door guardian placed at the top of door so mom can't reach it. It's perfect for keeping her inside.

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My Dad had Alzheimer’s and would try to go outside unattended. We purchased door alarms at Walmart and placed them at the doors going outside and to the basement. You could also place one to her bedroom door and the alarm would wake you when she opened the door

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When this started to happen with my dad, we knew it was time for secured memory care. We discussed options with the family doctor but those mostly came down to locking down the house so nobody could easily escape, which seemed pretty dangerous :( It seemed also likely that dad would get super-agitated and angry if he came across doors he couldn't open. He was at a high level of paranoia and thought strangers were coming in and out of the house.

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If your loved one gets angry if s/he cannot open the door, would living in memory care make a difference? It costs A LOT of money to live in MC and anger will result in expulsion. Back to square one, with less money in account to pay for care.

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My mom does this too, here’s what we’ve used:
1. Doorknob lock with tape over it
2. Security system
3. Mini chimes on door
4. Flip lock up high
5. Chain lock

good luck!

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I put a curtain up in front of my door and my mother has no idea there is even a door there.

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My mother has Alzheimer's, more on the severe case. She walked out of the house the other night and neither my father or I knew. Any suggestions?

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