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ALZ Wandering
Dealing with Wandering
Many of us know the difficulties that can surround our loved ones' wandering. In the past few years, technological advances have dramatically expanded the options available to help caregivers deal with this potentially dangerous issue. For example, in the United Kingdom, the Alzheimer's Society (a charity and research organization) has endorsed electronic "tagging" of Alzheimer's sufferers. Patients are fitted with tamper-resistant tracking devices that alert caregivers when their loved ones move outside of a predetermined area. Yet some have questioned the ethics of this practice—the wearing of the tag must be consensual, and as the disease progresses, the patient's ability to give consent may not be clear.
There are other choices as well. The Alzheimer's Association offers a product known as "Safe Return." This is a non-electronic solution—patients can wear jewelry (bracelets or necklaces), wallet cards, or clothing labels bearing a toll-free 800 number that anyone finding the wandering patient can call, whereupon the patient is looked up in the Safe Return database and local law enforcement performs a search and rescue, returning the missing patient to his or her loved ones. This is a difficult issue for many of us—deciding what is right for you and your family is a decision you should come to together. Read More
