Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
Well,while you are inside with her,you could put a latch lock up high on the door,screen or otherwise.If you have a sliding door put a broom handle or rod to keep her from opening it when you are inside with her.If she's making escapes,she doesn't need to be left unattended. Sometimes they are so fast you don't have a chance.Darned if you do,darned if you don't,lol.
I put a lock on the outside of our backyard gate that my husband could not see. That way, he could go all over the yard but not wander and we could all get in or out on our own. I wouldn't leave an AD patient alone in a bldg with a lock on the outside if they had to get out.
Bettyhere http://geocities.com/caregiving4alz todayssr.com - All About Alzheimer's Author of: When the Doctor Says, 'Alzheimer's'
Posts: 434 | Location?: Los Angeles CA | Registered: March 17, 2005
I appreciate the ideas, however, I think people are misunderstanding me about one point and I feel comepelled to set the record straight. My mom is NEVER EVER left unattended or alone. My Dad is with her always when I am at work, and I am there other times, she is never in a room alone. But as you know they can move fast if you are on one side of the room, say, cooking or making a bed or the like and they decide to make a dash for the door. When I worry about being able to get in, it is in case my dad, at 75, were injured and could not get up or unconcious and I was at work. Its not because we leave her up there alone! Actually, when I asked the question I was hoping someone might know of a special gadget or sources for stuff made especially for alzhiemer's caregiving situations, like catalogs or mail order websites. Surely there must be inventions for making life easier and safer for invalids and home situations?
My Mother has lived with me for 3 yrs. We key-locked all doors in the house, including bedrooms. You can streamline by having one or two keys that unlock everything. Before key-locks, my Mother fiddled with the deadbolt long enough that on several occasions she managed to open the door. We keep a key in a safe, within-reach hiding place very close to the door and use it when exiting and also for emergencies. Inside, we've found that by keeping the bathroom and bedroom doors locked during the day, she is less likely to get into things and also less likely to hurt herself. Locking is better than the alternative...losing. There's no substitute for watching them, but I hope this helps. I purchased a Vail bed for nighttime use. It has been the BEST thing! Can't imagine life before it. It's a large mesh/canopy type "tent" that goes over the top of a standard hospital bed. You can zip it up at night and then sleep worry-free. My Mother was prone to wandering at night. Up and down, up and down. She had several falls, including one where she broke her pelvis. I have no more worries about that happening during the night. In fact, I was such a believer, that I purchased 14 of them from a facility and am offering them for sale to anyone who shares my plight. If this is something that might help you, let me know.
Originally posted by IreneNY: Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
What I did was go into the baby section of the stores and purchesed the "things" that go over the door knobs. You have to squeeze them just right in order to turn the door knob. We have had zero excapes and the clothes stay in the closets!
Melody
Posts: 882 | Location?: Michigan | Registered: June 02, 2005
Thanks! I saw the squeeze-knob thingies online and they looked like a good possibility, I didn't look in the stores for them, but will. The mesh thing over the bed sounds nightmare inducing, but I'm glad it works for some. Thanks again.
Originally posted by IreneNY: Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
My mother is the sole caregiver for my father and they live very far away from me. Everytime I go to stay I try new things to keep him inside because he too can get away quickly and they live out in the woods all alone. The sheriff with the dogs has had to come several times. One thing I found that worked very well for my fatther is the lastic childproof covers that go over the doorknob. That may be the squeezy things you were talking about. You can find them at any department store in the baby department. Another good idea is to put a string of jingle bells on the doors. At least there will be a sound while they are trying to figure out how to open the door. We put the door knob covers on all the inside doors except the "safe room" and his bath and bedroom. I think it is important to have a "safe" room they can wander in. Place familiar objects like photos, a deck of cards, just anything that they may want to look at and it isn't going to hurt them nor will it be a problem if they are lost or damaged. Make sure that you show other people how it operates-in any case, in an emergency they are easy to rip off. My Dad did figure it out (he was a NASA engineer afterall) but he soon forgets and has to figure it out all over again. There is also a device called "Wander Alert" that cost about $800.00. You can set the distance you want to allow the person to roam from the base unit-I think it goes from 10 ft to 120 ft. It sound an alarm where the base unit is when they get past the limit you have set. I hope this helps you-I know what you are going through.
Pleae take the easiest most humane approaches first. place either a wide black strip infront of doors...or rugs that look like water. The diseased ind wont dare to cross over the big blck abyss hole...and usually wont try swimming across either.
Originally posted by IreneNY: I appreciate the ideas, however, I think people are misunderstanding me about one point and I feel comepelled to set the record straight. My mom is NEVER EVER left unattended or alone. My Dad is with her always when I am at work, and I am there other times, she is never in a room alone. But as you know they can move fast if you are on one side of the room, say, cooking or making a bed or the like and they decide to make a dash for the door. When I worry about being able to get in, it is in case my dad, at 75, were injured and could not get up or unconcious and I was at work. Its not because we leave her up there alone! Actually, when I asked the question I was hoping someone might know of a special gadget or sources for stuff made especially for alzhiemer's caregiving situations, like catalogs or mail order websites. Surely there must be inventions for making life easier and safer for invalids and home situations?
Hi , I understood your post Go to the caregivers forum , youmay have to look in the archives but , there are posts from people who have given web sites for gadgets etc .. for safety . Your not alone ! Or contact your Alz . Chapter , I'm sure they will be able to help you . Twiggy
Originally posted by IreneNY: Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
My father is the primary care giver of my mom who also suffers from this herrendous disease. My dad is 75 is suffers from many sleepless nights and he does fall asleep sometimes when watching TV and mom will sometimes get out if the dead bolts aren't locked. I went on line and bought these door stopper things that set off an alarm if the door the is opened. It only works with doors that open towards you. The door stop/alarm costs about $7 but I have to warn you it's a piercing alarm. We stuffed ours with some material to dub the sound of the alarm not to cause mom/dad a heart attack but if there is a reason to travel to visit my sister/brother and a hotel stay is required, the material comes out. If she gets out, I want the world to know because like you said "they're fast"!!!!!!
teresa; i don,t know if you have read some of my posting but we did have the same problem with my father in law.we have child proof locks every where.but he figured out how to open anything.this went on constanley all day and nite.he. was going where,he did,nt know.we were so worn out,my husband and i had to finally take turn sleeping,and staying up. it want for about a 2 yrs,now once in awhile he has restless days,where he walks the floor ,but now he is at the stage of sating in his chair and stiring. have a good day.
willsey
Posts: 519 | Location?: oklahoma | Registered: September 10, 2005
Originally posted by richardson1: My Mother has lived with me for 3 yrs. We key-locked all doors in the house, including bedrooms. You can streamline by having one or two keys that unlock everything. Before key-locks, my Mother fiddled with the deadbolt long enough that on several occasions she managed to open the door. We keep a key in a safe, within-reach hiding place very close to the door and use it when exiting and also for emergencies. Inside, we've found that by keeping the bathroom and bedroom doors locked during the day, she is less likely to get into things and also less likely to hurt herself. Locking is better than the alternative...losing. There's no substitute for watching them, but I hope this helps. I purchased a Vail bed for nighttime use. It has been the BEST thing! Can't imagine life before it. It's a large mesh/canopy type "tent" that goes over the top of a standard hospital bed. You can zip it up at night and then sleep worry-free. My Mother was prone to wandering at night. Up and down, up and down. She had several falls, including one where she broke her pelvis. I have no more worries about that happening during the night. In fact, I was such a believer, that I purchased 14 of them from a facility and am offering them for sale to anyone who shares my plight. If this is something that might help you, let me know.
jill my grandmother is wandering at night. i was wanting to get more info on the veil bed cover.
Posts: 1 | Location?: florida | Registered: January 04, 2006
I also needed something to alert me that my mom was on the move. (She can move quietly--no sounds noted from the baby monitor or it could have been a nite that I was sleeping soundly and I didn't hear her moving). Anyway, my husband did some extensive research and found the perfect alarm! It is a small, portable, battery operated- motion sensor!! It can be mounted or attached to something portable. (I have it as a collar on the wooden cat that decorates the corner by her door-that way if she gets to her doorway it signals. Either an alarm sound or the emergency signal-which ever I've chosen. I also change locations so she can't shut it off before it alerts me. Found @ Radio Shack Stores & also internet for less than $30.00 !!!! Hopefully this will help.
Posts: 2 | Location?: Macomb, MI | Registered: August 06, 2006
Originally posted by IreneNY: Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
Hi my dad was also a great houdini. Make sure that you get a Wandering Bracelet from the Alzheimer Society. It will be the best $40.00 you will spend. The other suggestion is to go to Home Depot or any other hardware stores and buy a very simple alarm system that uses a magnet. the price is around $6-8 dollars . Attach them high on the door frame out of the line of site. they will sound the alarm which will scary your loved one enough that you can get them before they go out the door. I also used them on the window. My father favorite time to leaves was when we were asleep. He was return to us by the police in our town. After the 3rd visit with the polic e, I had the alarms and the bracelet. We have never had another wander at night. He still wants to go home but we are not doing at midnight. Good Luck
I too felt worried about keylocking the doors. Instead we installed bolt locks that push up at the top corner of each door. They are all french doors and it helped to know that the glass could be broken if we had to get in. But I still worried. What if there was a fire and I couldn't get over to Mom's area of the house across the adjoining screen porch... Last month I paid a little visit to our local fire station. They were very supportive. Apparently they can put our information into their computer and have it available if they ever need to send fire or emergency people to us. So now they know to break the top pane on the french doors and pull the bolt. This gave me comfort. I think we just all have to do what we have to do and be reasonably sure that we are choosing the safest thing for our loved ones. Blessings to all of you!
Hi all... Question for you on this topic.. My father will go on walks in his neighborhood, but a couple times has wandered off to find his house, because he doesn't recognize his house as the right one. One time he wound up in a local restaurant, asking them to call his sister to take him home, and the other time spoke to local police who were in the neighborhood. These walks are a physical release for boredom or anxiety and some "alone" time and we don't want to deny them to him. (And there is noone around physically able to go with him.) But, our fear is he will get lost and/or not remember his address or phone number as he does now. Is a solution the First Alert system? What if he refuses to wear the ID?
Val- your solution is to just let him wander-and if he gets lost, someone will return him! Not mug him, not get hit by a car, lost in an alley. I suggest, before the unthinkable happens, is to hire someone to walk with him if you are unable. And contact your local police dept about his wandering. They may have experience with a certain type of system-. And definitely do the first alert bracelet, and tag his shirts too with a phone number at least. Just don't tell him its a "if you get lost tag", just a new bracelet/necklace and he looks very nice with it on. You may also want to contact your local Alz association, call the nuber at the bottom of this page for the local office, for their help. There are solutions to letting him have his space, without just hoping someone returns him.
Posts: 448 | Location?: Ca | Registered: May 24, 2005
Val, They also have medical alert watches, which might be a better solution for him, won't look so much like jewelry.
Just Google Medical Alert ID or bracelets or something like that. Sorry I don't have the website where I got my mom her watch a couple years ago.
The watches aren't cheap but they're a good alternate to bracelets or necklaces. They also come with a card to be put in his wallet.
However, what Alori said is right. After my mom ended up a mile from home, sweating like crazy in the afternoon heat, we realized we needed full-time care for her when I was at work. Kat
Hey... thanks all for your input. I think we're kind of on the right track but how do you know? I guess you follow your gut. Local authorities do already know of his situation and have family connections, so that's good. Just afraid of the time he may get really disoriented.. especially with the cold weather coming on.
Originally posted by richardson1: My Mother has lived with me for 3 yrs. We key-locked all doors in the house, including bedrooms. You can streamline by having one or two keys that unlock everything. Before key-locks, my Mother fiddled with the deadbolt long enough that on several occasions she managed to open the door. We keep a key in a safe, within-reach hiding place very close to the door and use it when exiting and also for emergencies. Inside, we've found that by keeping the bathroom and bedroom doors locked during the day, she is less likely to get into things and also less likely to hurt herself. Locking is better than the alternative...losing. There's no substitute for watching them, but I hope this helps. I purchased a Vail bed for nighttime use. It has been the BEST thing! Can't imagine life before it. It's a large mesh/canopy type "tent" that goes over the top of a standard hospital bed. You can zip it up at night and then sleep worry-free. My Mother was prone to wandering at night. Up and down, up and down. She had several falls, including one where she broke her pelvis. I have no more worries about that happening during the night. In fact, I was such a believer, that I purchased 14 of them from a facility and am offering them for sale to anyone who shares my plight. If this is something that might help you, let me know.
Posts: 2 | Location?: Little Rock Arkansas | Registered: October 31, 2006
Originally posted by richardson1: My Mother has lived with me for 3 yrs. We key-locked all doors in the house, including bedrooms. You can streamline by having one or two keys that unlock everything. Before key-locks, my Mother fiddled with the deadbolt long enough that on several occasions she managed to open the door. We keep a key in a safe, within-reach hiding place very close to the door and use it when exiting and also for emergencies. Inside, we've found that by keeping the bathroom and bedroom doors locked during the day, she is less likely to get into things and also less likely to hurt herself. Locking is better than the alternative...losing. There's no substitute for watching them, but I hope this helps. I purchased a Vail bed for nighttime use. It has been the BEST thing! Can't imagine life before it. It's a large mesh/canopy type "tent" that goes over the top of a standard hospital bed. You can zip it up at night and then sleep worry-free. My Mother was prone to wandering at night. Up and down, up and down. She had several falls, including one where she broke her pelvis. I have no more worries about that happening during the night. In fact, I was such a believer, that I purchased 14 of them from a facility and am offering them for sale to anyone who shares my plight. If this is something that might help you, let me know.
10-31-06 Hello , I have been searching for a veil bed through google search without any luck. Do you know where I can get one at a reasonable cost? I was told at the nursing home that the usual cost is $4000.00 which is terribly over-priced. The rental is $12/day which can add up after weeks of use.
Thanks for your help!
Posts: 2 | Location?: Little Rock Arkansas | Registered: October 31, 2006
I read somewhere on these boards what I thought was a nice tool for dealing with wandering issues.
For women, a pretty bracelet that has a couple of little bells on it can alert you to when mom is on the move. In the post I read, the woman actually enjoyed the sweet tinkling sound of the bells as well.
Heather, I heard about the black rug in front of the door. I tried it and the first thing my husband did was walk over and stand in the middle of it. I'd try the blue, but he might try a swan dive. He would always go out the side door of our house, "to find his car", I started locking the dead bold-he figured that out. Then came an alarm to let me know when the door was opened-he thought it was birds. Finally, I cut a tennis ball in half and used packaging tape and taped it over the dead bolt-that has worked- now he never goes to that door because it is "broken". By putting a rod in the patio door, he hasn't been able to figure out why that one won't open. That only leaves one way out and that one also has an alarm on it to warn me. I also put an alarm on the bedroom door so I would know if he woke up during the night and decided to wander. None of the alarms were expensive. I purchased them at one of the discount stores and they stick on the door with two-sided tape. They have worked well for me. I know what you are going through.
Hello, I have been reading your forums and would like to reply that we have come up with a device that gets worn by the Alzheimer's patient so thy can be located if they wander off. Although it will not keep them in thier bed or room at night it is designed to give them some freedom back in their lives. The device we have is called "patientrack" and it is a GPS based tracking device and can be monitored 24/7. You could place a Geo-fence around the house and if they leave it would alert you or our monitoring center. Please visit our website www.patentrackgps.com or call for more information 1-866-654-8708 Let's give them back the freedom they deserve. Michael Timm Sky Shield USA
<Michael Timm>
Posted
I'm sorry I spelled the web address wrong it should be www.patientrackgps.com Thank you, M Timm
Try using a deadbolt but turn it the opposite way...you can just turn the knob from outside and he can lock from inside so as she cant unlock it herself. this way...NO WORRIES about firemen getting in cuz they just turn lock. Is their apartment reachable from indoor your home or is it an outdoor entrance?
If its indoor entrance from your place (if understanding your situation) than no need to worry about burglers getting into their home, if they have their door @ an outdoor area, then get a storm door made of glass that has a twisting lock on inside and key lock on outside. that way main door she cant get out without a key cuz of deadbolt switched around and strangers cant get in unless they have a key but your dad can get out if he unlocks deadbolt and then turns the lock to unlock the storm door. Problem solved...I did it and it was amazing.
Other types locking solutions..... Sliding doors, you can buy keyed pegged locks...push lever down...peg gets inserted into main frame and door is locked...if further security needed, key lock it! Broom handles only work so long. They figure it out. Things placed up high tend to be safest if it is a simple non-keylocking device cuz they dont tend to look UP.
Good luck.... Julie butterflyznbeez@aol.com
quote:
Originally posted by IreneNY: Mom has started making escapes, and recently fell off the back porch before I could get across the kitchen and keep her inside. No serious injuries, thank the Lord! One concern about locking doors is what if emergency personel needed to get in? Their apartment is upstairs from mine in our raised ranch -we need a gadget or lock that would enable me and visitors to enter thier place, while still keeping her IN. I'm sure alot of caregivers have faced this and found solutions, thanks in advance for your respons(es).
Trials and Tribulation, a sense of humor can help me survive.
Sorry Michael, neither one of your links seems to be working.
I also came across this link from another post in the forums. I guess it's still in the trial phases as I can't seem to find any updates on it and it's availability.
From another link posted on another thread about inserting microchips for identification.
Just thought I'd give you a heads up that this is a VERY old thread and Michael's last entry was back in 2007.
Information sharing still valid, but sometimes initiating a brand new discussion re the same subject will give new, additional and/or updated information and much more input.
Awhile back I found myself responding to someone with a thorny problem. I was worried about the individual and got no response back. Next time I went into the thread, I noticed the discussion was written in 2005. It happens.
Hugs,
Johanna C.
Posts: 2362 | Location?: USA | Registered: February 20, 2008
