My grandmother has dementia and this summer she got hit by a car when she went outside without me or my mother accompanying her. She still tries to go out now, and she likes going out at 8 am or even earlier ,when we are asleep also her care taker comes at 10 am. Do you have any suggestions?

Hi Anonymous,

I would definitely look into all of these options:

– Can her caregiver come earlier in the morning?
– Get a third shift caregiver (someone that works 11 PM to 8 AM) and he or she can even sleep during the shift. I once worked with a woman who would wake up in the middle of the night. There was a motion sensor near her bed so it would wake me up by beeping loudly and I would go attend to her.
– Research dementia care communities. Usually when people begin “wandering,” it may be safest to bring them to a safe, locked community.
– Look up the item “Confounding Door Lock.” You can buy it for less than $30 on The Alzheimer’s Store website.
– Get your grandmother a memory alert bracelet. It looks like an allergy alert bracelet that kids sometimes wear when they have severe allergies. It will have her name and info on it.

Hope these help!

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