We are at our wits end with this. We finally got my dad sleeping at night with the help of medications but every day he starts wanting to go home and it goes on for hours until almost bedtime at night. He think he is not in his home and needs to get home to his mother. We have tried everything to calm him down. He packs all of his clothes and sets them by the door and will get out any way he can. We have installed several locks and alarms on the doors and he still gets past them. The only thing that has worked is for me to go and drive him around every day. This is getting impossible for me to do every day so I am not sure what to do. He gets extremely agitated if he can't get out. He does not walk very well has had to be brought back home several times. Help !! any ideas.
I forgot to mention that dad was assessed by Hospice and it was determined that he needed to be in a nursing facility for safety purposes. We are working on finding a place but having a little trouble finding a space that is available. Hopefully that will work out soon. My mom is 82 and we need to keep him fairly close so she can spend time with him as much as possible. She just can't handle him by herself at home and everyone works and can't stay all the time with them.
You are in a very complicated situation in which you seem to have done all you can to help your dad remain safe. And like many caregivers, finding a good, safe and secure care facility is another situation that is often a difficult and time consuming process. The Alzheimer's Association’s SNAP Housing Finder is a service that helps you locate local care facilities in your area. To utilize the SNAP website visit http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_senior_housing_finder.asp. Your local Alzheimer’s Association chapter would also be able to provide you with a list of care facilities in your area that meet your current needs. You can find your local chapter at http://www.alz.org/apps/findus.asp.
In the meantime, one service your Dad may benefit from is the Medic Alert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return Program. In this program your father would be given an identification bracelet or necklace, and if he ever did get out alone, one call to the 24 hour emergency number immediately activates a community support network to help reunite him with you. Please visit http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_medicalert_safereturn.asp to learn more and enroll your father in this safety program.
Your dad’s behavior at night and his desire to get home to his mother is very common. Many persons with Alzheimer’s disease become anxious and confused at night and desire to leave. In this kind of situation it is often best to reduce his anxiety by providing him with soothing, comforting statements. For example, you could say, “Your mom knows you are here with me, she knows you are safe and wants you to stay here until tomorrow.” Reducing his anxiety may help calm the situation so that he can remain safe in his home.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other issue related to Alzheimer’s disease please contact our 24 hour helpline at 800.272.3900 and speak directly with a Care Consultant. Thank you for participating in our Online Community.
