Guidance · Dementia care
Dementia Wandering and How to Prevent It
Most of what helps happens earlier in the day: a full, familiar routine, door locks placed out of the usual line of sight, and a plan your family agrees ahead of time. Six in ten will wander at least once, so prevention is a household routine and not a one-time fix.
Dementia wandering is when a person living with dementia walks off or leaves home and may not find their way back, and since six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, families can lower the chances with a full, familiar day, door locks placed out of sight and a plan agreed ahead of time.
Most families learn that figure after the first incident, when it would help far more before one happens. It’s more common than many families expect. The Alzheimer’s Association notes that six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, and many more than once. Knowing that early means you can plan calmly, before it ever happens.
The most useful steps are part of ordinary days: a routine with something to do in it, locks placed where they aren’t the first thing the eye falls on, and a short plan everyone in the family knows. It’s part of our wider guide to dementia care at home.
What helps at home
It’s natural to think about the front door first. The Alzheimer’s Association puts more weight on the hours before that. Walking off often has a reason behind it, such as an old habit of going out at a certain time, and a day with something to do in it gives that restlessness somewhere else to go.
Here are three places to start, in the order that usually helps most.
- The day
Keep the day full and familiar
The Association recommends giving the person living with dementia chances to take part in structured, meaningful activities throughout the day. That can be cooking together, folding laundry, a walk with someone, or anything they enjoy and can still do with ease.
- The doors
Place locks out of the usual line of sight
The recommendation is about where the lock goes: deadbolts placed out of the line of sight, either high or low on exterior doors. Locks work best alongside the daytime routine, not on their own. For the rest of the house, room by room, see dementia proofing the home.
- Late in the day
If restlessness comes in the late afternoon
Some families find restlessness tends to come at about the same time each day, as the light fades. There’s a separate guide on that, with its own list of what helps: what to do when sundowning starts.
A plan agreed ahead of time means nobody has to decide in the moment.
The Alzheimer’s Association’s guidance is simple enough to write on a card by the phone. Share it with everyone who helps, including any caregiver.
Start with the immediate area, in one organized search, instead of everyone setting off in different directions.
Many people with dementia who wander are found within 1.5 miles of where they were last seen.
If the person hasn't been found within 15 minutes, call 911 and file a missing person report, and keep looking.
The Association advises making that call after 15 minutes even if you expect to find them just around the corner. Deciding it now, together, makes it easier to follow.
How a caregiver can help
Safety supervision is one of the daily-living services Endurance Home Care provides in the home. A caregiver can help fill the hours that would otherwise be empty, with company, cooking, errands, walks together and the things your mother or father enjoys. That’s the same kind of structured, meaningful day the Association recommends, with someone there to share it. A caregiver also keeps an eye on things through the hours your family finds hardest, and knows the plan you’ve agreed.
A registered nurse visits first and writes the care plan with your family, and we choose the caregiver with your parent in mind. Some families also choose our optional 24/7 audio monitoring, which listens for events, not conversations. Your family decides whether it’s used.
Households that want a second layer can add ETS, our optional check-in service: 24/7 audio check-ins and alerting that notify the Endurance team so we can respond promptly. It’s a way of reaching a person faster.
To see what a regular schedule can look like, read about in home dementia care.
Endurance Home Care helps with daily life at home: company, meals, the house, errands, appointments and, where it's needed, hands-on personal care. For skilled nursing, home health aides or physical therapy in Connecticut, our separate company, Endurance Home Health, can help.
Questions families ask
Dementia wandering: how to prevent it
Six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, and many do so repeatedly. Most of what helps happens earlier in the day, before anyone reaches the door. The Alzheimer's Association recommends structured, meaningful activity throughout the day, and deadbolts placed out of the line of sight, high or low on exterior doors. It also helps to agree a plan ahead of time: if someone has wandered and isn't found within 15 minutes, call 911 to file a missing person report.
How far do people usually go?
Many people with dementia who wander are found within 1.5 miles of where they were last seen, so an organized search close to home comes first. The Alzheimer's Association also advises calling 911 to file a missing person report if the person isn't found within 15 minutes, while the search continues.
Do door locks help?
Where they go matters most. Deadbolts placed out of the line of sight, either high or low on exterior doors, are recommended because they sit outside where the eye usually falls. Locks work best as one part of the plan, alongside a full, familiar day and someone nearby during the harder hours.
Can a caregiver reduce the risk during the day?
Yes. Safety supervision is one of the daily-living services Endurance provides in the home, and a caregiver can help fill the hours that would otherwise be empty. The Alzheimer's Association recommends structured, meaningful activity throughout the day, and a caregiver can share cooking, walks, errands and conversation with your parent, and keep an eye on things during the hours your family finds hardest.
Talk with us about help at home
Tell us about your mother or father and the times of day that feel hardest. We’ll talk through how a caregiver could help. Home care across Connecticut and New Jersey, and companion care in New York, from an agency registered with the state. The first conversation is free, and nothing starts until you say so.