“He set off the alarm at 2 am from wandering out with no shoes on, in his pajamas and into a rainstorm. I grabbed my phone while I ran out the door after him. I had to call the alarm company before we got charged for a false alarm.”
(real-life story)
Most of us have heard of “Sundowning” (confusion, restlessness and wandering in the late afternoon or early hours of the evening), but wandering can happen at any time of day. Your family member could start wandering, even in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's, due to confusion or disorientation. There is no “head's up” until after it's happened, and by that time, they could be halfway down the street.
If you already have a home alarm system in place, you'll be notified when someone leaves the house. But what about when it's not armed during the day? Even when you're the sole caregiver, you've got options.
However you decide to secure the doors in your house, consider where your relative's cognitive abilities are at (mild, moderate or severe) and how they respond to being frustrated. Some people become destructive, while some just give up and walk away.
Child Proof Lock Reinforcement
While the mechanism is simple for someone in-the-know, it can be confusing for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and help prevent them from opening a door. These are easy to install — for inward-swinging doors only. Install out of immediate line-of-sight, either above their head, or close to the ground.
Watch the installation video to see how it works:
Cable Ties (for quick-locking double doors)
Also known as zip ties, these can be wrapped around handles and knobs to secure doors and gates. Works for people in mid-late stages. This set comes with a cutter!
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