when i took my husband out to local shops he did not want to come back home with me he wanted to go for walk on his own which he cant do so he threw shoping from my hand on to ground and walked off i had my phone with me and tel my son who went after him. i am now to nervous to take him out on my own so have got an agency to help me so i pay the carer to take us out for walk as i want to keep him mobile also i put notes in his pockets etc in case he runs off as i think if i got him bracelet he would just take it off. i wish i had the confernence to take him out as it was a refreshing break and good exercise for us both and you were in contact with the outside world instead of being in your own home all the time.
wandering and identification tips
- Thread starter Darras
- Start date
I have had similar with my OH and have been advised that there are devices which can track your loved one but as yet I have not followed it through as being hard of hearing I am meeting shortly with one of the deaf charities which supplies various alarms and alerts around the house. Wondering away is such a worry.
This stage is simply terrifying but it will pass eventually. I used a mobile phone to keep in touch with him, then a tracker on a lanyard round his neck costing £200 which worked well for a while. I also on one occasion when my husband like yours walked off when we were out together to "keep an appointment" with his long dead brothers, phoned the police. They were terrific and arrived in ten minutes and ran us home.
After his Trazadone was stepped up he was less inclined to go off and now is less able. A very difficult stage to deal with. Best wishes.
After his Trazadone was stepped up he was less inclined to go off and now is less able. A very difficult stage to deal with. Best wishes.
Hi my OH can't find his way around but after being brought home by local people as he has not gone far from home he seems to know if he goes out alone he will get lost. I have decided to buy him one of the simple mobiles that only have three buttons linked to three numbers. He does get very frustrated that he can't go out alone and hopefully this stage is passed.
Jep
Hello, I'm a new member, my OH hasn't had a diagnosis yet. Had head scan that showed changes in brain. He is getting confused and has a degree of memory loss. Goes to bed early 7.30 even though it's light outside. I'm so glad to have found this forum. I think I might use it often in the future.
Hello, I'm a new member, my OH hasn't had a diagnosis yet. Had head scan that showed changes in brain. He is getting confused and has a degree of memory loss. Goes to bed early 7.30 even though it's light outside. I'm so glad to have found this forum. I think I might use it often in the future.
Hello Jep, and welcome. You have come to the right place!
Have a browse around the different threads, and join in wherever you like, and you could also start a thread of your own, maybe in the "I have a partner with dementia" section. Just go to that section, and click the green "post new thread" button. Give your thread a Title in the box, write your message in the box, and then click the "submit new thread" button under the box.trackers
Hi Dorras
A lady from Carelink came yesterday and showed me a couple of GPS trackers which my husband could put in his pocket. They both allow me to download an app and see where he is at any one time but one also has a button on it to press if he is in trouble and he can then talk to someone on the end of a phone who will either help or contact met. I think I will go ahead with it.
Hi Dorras
A lady from Carelink came yesterday and showed me a couple of GPS trackers which my husband could put in his pocket. They both allow me to download an app and see where he is at any one time but one also has a button on it to press if he is in trouble and he can then talk to someone on the end of a phone who will either help or contact met. I think I will go ahead with it.
The idea of a button to press for help is great and my husband had this on his tracker. However he never considered himself lost and wouldn't have remembered how to use it anyway so like everything else it had limited use. Try everything but rely on nothing.
When my husband was going through this stage I used a GPS tracker which I could just slip into his inside coat pocket (he would never have agreed to a bracelet or something around his neck). I also bought a dog tag which I had engraved with my contact details and I attached it to his key ring.
Another aid I used was a card from the Alzheimer's Society where I filled in his details and my contact details. I was always worried that the wrong person would see it but in the end the risk that my husband was at when out alone was greater than the risk of his details falling into the wrong hands. I put the card in the back of his wallet and it still sits there today. We are five years into the diagnosis now and he is always accompanied wherever he goes. The card has never been needed - but nor has it ever made him a target for the unscrupulous
I did set his mobile phone up to link to me via the SOS button on the back, but he soon forgot it was there within minutes of being reminded, so it was of little help in his situation. He does not have a mobile phone any longer as he simply cannot manage one, not even to answer calls or to press buttons linked to family phone numbers.
Another aid I used was a card from the Alzheimer's Society where I filled in his details and my contact details. I was always worried that the wrong person would see it but in the end the risk that my husband was at when out alone was greater than the risk of his details falling into the wrong hands. I put the card in the back of his wallet and it still sits there today. We are five years into the diagnosis now and he is always accompanied wherever he goes. The card has never been needed - but nor has it ever made him a target for the unscrupulous
I did set his mobile phone up to link to me via the SOS button on the back, but he soon forgot it was there within minutes of being reminded, so it was of little help in his situation. He does not have a mobile phone any longer as he simply cannot manage one, not even to answer calls or to press buttons linked to family phone numbers.
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wandering, leaving the house.
Thank you for your reply. When you say it will pass, does it just stop and will it be ok to start are walks again? I have received some cards from the alzheimers society which i will put in his trousers back pocket and have been advised to register details with police.
Thank you for your reply. When you say it will pass, does it just stop and will it be ok to start are walks again? I have received some cards from the alzheimers society which i will put in his trousers back pocket and have been advised to register details with police.
wandering, leaving the house.
thank you for your reply but he can't use a phone or mobile phone. I have the type of mobile you have but the only fault is the button on the back which is linked to the numbers is easily touched by another object and goes off by accident.
thank you for your reply but he can't use a phone or mobile phone. I have the type of mobile you have but the only fault is the button on the back which is linked to the numbers is easily touched by another object and goes off by accident.
There is no knowing how long any of these stages will last and I know how hard it is to endure. I would urge you to look for a daycentre for him to use up some of his energy and keep him busy. My husband "escaped" from that too in the early days but we worked through that and he is now settled when he is in the centre. He had gradually increasing doses of Trazadone which seemed to calm him down and listen to reason about not going out on his own. He is very healthy but with a very bad knee which is also slowing him down.
It will pass but I would talk it over with his GP or consultant to see if your husband needs any medication.
It will pass but I would talk it over with his GP or consultant to see if your husband needs any medication.
Thank you for your help, we tried daycentre but when carer came to take him he just would not go. Mornings are difficult as we are not sorted till about noon as I just have to go with the flow no point in rushing him as it just causes problems. We had a carer three times a week for 2 hours at a time and the three of us would go for walk with dog and after three months he went with him on his own to give me break then we got it to 3 hours to help me cope and have bit of time to myself so i could look after my husband as we have few visitors. Then recently the carer went six for 8 weeks so we have had to start again with new carer so its back to the beginning again but without dog which is sad as my husband felt he was taken dog for walk and not carer taken him If i could take them both myself it would be great but dog is too strong for us both now but he is one of the family and company for us both especially now when we feel so isolated, so i am hoping this new chap works out and maybe this will keep my husband molbile and enjoy meeting other dog walkers.
Thank you for listening.
Hi Darras,
My OH is an obsessive walker but has also started getting lost.
He recently insisted on heading off on his own and became confused. A very kind lady found him and took him to her house and fed him. He couldn't remember his name etc and so the police were involved. Scary. He had a Blue Angel band but folks didn't know how to use it and no one looked in his pocket for his card with details. I searched his route but of course he was indoors having a lovely lunch.
I now put an iPhone in his pocket. He can't use it but I can use the Find My IPhone app to locate him. Very useful.
I also pay a carer to take him for a walk every week day. It gives me time for me and then we enjoy walking together at the weekends.
It's a frightening stage for sure.
My OH is an obsessive walker but has also started getting lost.
He recently insisted on heading off on his own and became confused. A very kind lady found him and took him to her house and fed him. He couldn't remember his name etc and so the police were involved. Scary. He had a Blue Angel band but folks didn't know how to use it and no one looked in his pocket for his card with details. I searched his route but of course he was indoors having a lovely lunch.
I now put an iPhone in his pocket. He can't use it but I can use the Find My IPhone app to locate him. Very useful.
I also pay a carer to take him for a walk every week day. It gives me time for me and then we enjoy walking together at the weekends.
It's a frightening stage for sure.
Hi
We were recommended to contact the Care Navigator Services, who work in conjunction with the LA to provide tracker-type devices for people with dementia. (not sure if they have funds to do for everyone but it's not means-tested).
My wife was provided with a Vega "watch". It's a little bit bulky but she is happy to wear it and I take it off at night for her.
It connects to a central monitoring centre run by the company that provided it, called company name deleted. If she were to go missing, they can pinpoint where she is, using either GPS or the mobile network signal (GSM). It also has an "alert button! which if pressed, contacts the alarm centre and they could talk to her (though with her aphasia, wouldn't be of much use).
It also has a very useful function (though we do not use this at the moment) where the centre can set up a "geo-fence". So in your husband's case, if he is fine going within a certain radius (to the shops etc), this could be set up as the "safe zone". If he were then to get confused and wander further afield, the device would send out an alert to the centre, who would then notify whoever is set up as the nominated contact(s). They would be able to pinpoint where he was and if necessary, speak to your husband.
I am told that the device costs several hundred pounds plus a monthly monitoring fee, if you have to pay for it, but it's worth seeing if your local authority have any similar schemes available?
I've listed the organisations I mention, for information.
http://www.fmcareandsupport.co.uk/kent-care-navigator/
http://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-...port/care-and-support-at-home/care-navigators
https://www.centragroup.org.uk/centra_services_and_products/telecare/individuals/
Hope this helps.
Phil
We were recommended to contact the Care Navigator Services, who work in conjunction with the LA to provide tracker-type devices for people with dementia. (not sure if they have funds to do for everyone but it's not means-tested).
My wife was provided with a Vega "watch". It's a little bit bulky but she is happy to wear it and I take it off at night for her.
It connects to a central monitoring centre run by the company that provided it, called company name deleted. If she were to go missing, they can pinpoint where she is, using either GPS or the mobile network signal (GSM). It also has an "alert button! which if pressed, contacts the alarm centre and they could talk to her (though with her aphasia, wouldn't be of much use).
It also has a very useful function (though we do not use this at the moment) where the centre can set up a "geo-fence". So in your husband's case, if he is fine going within a certain radius (to the shops etc), this could be set up as the "safe zone". If he were then to get confused and wander further afield, the device would send out an alert to the centre, who would then notify whoever is set up as the nominated contact(s). They would be able to pinpoint where he was and if necessary, speak to your husband.
I am told that the device costs several hundred pounds plus a monthly monitoring fee, if you have to pay for it, but it's worth seeing if your local authority have any similar schemes available?
I've listed the organisations I mention, for information.
http://www.fmcareandsupport.co.uk/kent-care-navigator/
http://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-...port/care-and-support-at-home/care-navigators
https://www.centragroup.org.uk/centra_services_and_products/telecare/individuals/
Hope this helps.
Phil
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