Dear Oakley, My grandmother, Shirley, will be moving in with us. She has dementia and has been known to wander outside the home. Are there any programs in the DC area to help people like her? Thanks for your help! Wanda Ruhr — Dear Wanda, There are many programs in the DC metro area that […]
Why Don’t ALL Nursing Homes Offer This?
Q. My mother has dementia, and things are starting to become too much for me and my father to handle. She used to be so easy going, and now she gets cranky, angry, depressed, and fearful at times. It is so hard to see her like this, and caring for her at home has become […]
How You Can Help Prevent Wandering and Wandering-Related Tragedies
Dear Angel, My grandmother, who has dementia, lives with our family. She seems disoriented a lot, and I am afraid she might wander from the house. What are some things we can put in place in our home to stop her from wandering away? Thanks, Wanda Ring —– Dear Wanda, Wandering is a risk associated with […]
The Brain’s GPS: Why Alzheimer’s Patients Wander
Janet, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, lives at the Juniper House Memory Care unit in Oregon. She is among her unit’s 16 residents who have exhibited the symptoms of Sundown Syndrome, where individuals with Alzheimer’s get agitated, disoriented, and restless late in the day. Residents, including Janet, have attempted to get through the door of the […]
Straying from Loved Ones
Q. This past summer, I went to Burke Lake Park with a friend, Mary, who has a child with autism. While purchasing a ticket for the carousel for another child, Mary’s son wandered off. After searching for a bit, and involving the park authorities and the police, he was found near the train tracks (and […]