Wandering is a huge issue for aging adults with Alzheimer’s disease. How you handle the wandering matters quite a bit and elderly care providers can help you find the right solutions.
Keeping up with Clutter and General Safety.
You might not realize it, but clutter can be a cause of stress for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease, which can contribute to wandering behavior. Another problem is that if your elderly family member is pacing and wandering, clutter can be an obstacle for her. She might trip or find herself running into objects, which is a huge problem in regard to overall safety. Home care providers can help you to stay on top of clutter, which can pile up quicker than you realize.
Managing Activity Levels.
Wandering can also occur because your elderly family member has a buildup of energy that she doesn’t know how to disperse otherwise. But the wandering, even though it can help her burn off that excess energy, can have its own problems. What helps is having set activity times and ensuring that your elderly family member is getting the appropriate amount of exercise regularly throughout the day. Elderly care providers can handle scheduling all of that for your senior and offer gentle prompts.
Monitoring for Basic Needs Being Met.
Another aspect of daily life that can contribute to wandering is that your senior may become unable to express basic needs in the same way that she has in the past. What happens is that she may be hungry or in need of the bathroom, but be unable to tell you that. As a result, she may start to wander as a way to try to solve that need. Having a schedule for various activities, such as eating and toileting, can help significantly and elder care providers can help you to work that out.
Companionship to Help Stave off Boredom.
Wandering because of boredom may be a little more uncommon, but it’s not completely unheard of among people with Alzheimer’s disease. If your aging family member isn’t as engaged mentally and socially as she could be, that can build up a little bit like excess physical energy can. Having someone else there, like elder care providers, can help your senior to avoid those feelings of boredom.
Because wandering can be such a scary safety concern, it’s important to do whatever you can to minimize the risks. For your elderly family member, that might mean that elderly care providers are one of the best solutions you can implement. Their experience can help you to feel more in control of what’s happening.
The staff at Home Care Matters is available to talk with you and your family about all of your needs. Home Care Matters is a home care agency providing quality and affordable elderly care in Oakwood, GA and the surrounding areas. Call (678) 828-2195 for more information.
Valerie has the unique experience with home care as she has experienced it from both ends of the spectrum, as a caregiver and as needing care herself as a cancer survivor. Valerie says, “Taking care of someone you love is a physically, mentally and demanding labor of love.Taking care of my mom was the hardest thing I have ever done. It has given me an insight and perspective not many people understand unless you are doing it or have done it.I loved taking care of my mom.I love helping others take care of their love ones too.And now that I’ve been sick, it’s given me a whole new level of empathy and understanding for those who are sick and need help.”
Valerie’s schedule varies daily, but she loves visiting with our clients, families, caregivers, our network partners and being in the office.Says Valerie, “Every day is different, but I wake up excited about what we do, inspired by our team, clients and caregivers.I strive to be a resource to the community.I love my team and I love what we do every day. I like to think my mom would be proud.”
You can reach Valerie by email (Valerie@homecarematters.com) or in our office (770.965.4004).
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