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First experience with wandering

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annie51
annie51 Member Posts: 314
250 Care Reactions 100 Likes 100 Comments Second Anniversary
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Woke up at 1:45 this morning with DH missing. First time he’s ever done anything like this. Sheriff’s office had helicopter going, canine units, added bloodhounds, silver alert, the works. So scary! They found him at around 9 about 4 miles away.
He used to always carry his wallet which I had an AirTag in, but stopped carrying anything in his pockets. I never thought about AirTag in the shoes before (suggestion from the deputy) but since he always has his shoes on, this should work. Also ordered a door alarm. I hope this was a one-off but I’m afraid this might be a new normal. 😞
I toured my first MC facility the other day as my plan B. I guess I need to think more seriously about that.

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  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 5,351
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    I am so sorry. My friend had this a few times with her mom. Her mom shuffled slowly during the day, but at night in their neighborhood (still under construction with no street lighting) she moved at a quick clip.

    They did motion detection mats and alarmed doors.

  • Russinator
    Russinator Member Posts: 258
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    ((HUGS))

  • CindiEC
    CindiEC Member Posts: 20
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    I had door alarms and also purchased baby proof cover for door handles.

  • annie51
    annie51 Member Posts: 314
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    Thanks for the tip on the door handle covers. I’ll look at those.

  • Chammer
    Chammer Member Posts: 180
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    Another suggestion I've seen is to put a large black floor mat in front of the door as visual changes cause the PWD to see it as a hole.

  • Jgirl57
    Jgirl57 Member Posts: 661
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    oh my! So sorry to hear this. ((( HUGS)))

  • Aarron
    Aarron Member Posts: 20
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    I had door alarms and bells on bedroom doors

  • blacksparky
    blacksparky Member Posts: 104
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    I started with door alarms but had to end up getting double keyed deadbolts put on the entry doors.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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