Wandering Assisted Living Residents

One of the most common news subjects I see come out of the Assisted Living industry is of residents who wander off of the premises of their assisted living facility or care setting, only to either be found later, scared and confused, or to be found deceased. The most recent one I read was only a few days ago (August 19, 2008) of a woman from Long Beach, California suffering from dementia and takes medication, who wandered away from an emergency room. The disturbing thing about this was, apparently, the assisted living facility where she resided did not notify her family for 10 days.

She is still missing as of this writing.

It is a common way to deal with restlessness - going for a walk. Many assisted living facilities have ample hallways or grounds to allow for walking. This is a nice evolution in assisted living and long-term care - as the facilities of yesteryear were more prison-like, and residents were often behind lock and key for most of the day.

However, when a resident is prone to wandering, and the resident suffers from dementia or Alzheimer's, or any other mental disorder, then precautions must be taken to ensure their safety. Many facilities now have only one entry/exit point that is monitored carefully. Others employ ankle or wrist bracelets to help track their residents. If it isn't in the mainstream already, then it is only a matter of time before facilities use GPS (global positioning systems) devices to track their residents' locations precisely at all times.

Questions to ask any prospective facility include: Do they have 24-hour security and staffing? Where are the entry/exit points? Do they keep a thorough, up-to-date emergency and family contact list? Have there been any previous incidents with missing residents?

Facilities can also help residents cope by offering exercise classes and equipment. Treadmills and stationary bikes can be a great way to burn off the restlessness, and also improve well-being. Other classes such as yoga and meditation can also help residents to calm their nerves.

I think about a bumper sticker that I see from time to time that says "All who wander aren't really lost." In the case of those in an assisted living environment, they very well may be lost.

- by the staff at Assisted Living Directory