Wandering into other people's rooms

[Quack]

Hi all

My mum has been in a care home since early May and on the whole she's settled in OK. It's a good home and we're happy with the care there. The problem is that Mum is a wanderer...she won't sit down for more than 5 minutes before she's wandering the corridors again. The basic design is a T shape with all the rooms along the top. Mum has developed a habit of going into other peoples rooms and falling asleep in their beds, when she wakes up she puts on their glasses/slippers etc and it can be some time before anyone notices.

We've put up pictures and signs on her room to help her identify it but it's not reasonable to keep all the other doors closed or locked.

To date there has been a little argy bargy with other residents finding her in their room but nothing major thankfully.

Has anyone any ideas on what to try next ?

Quack

 

[SkiTTish]

Aww ,try not to worry too much ,they will be really used to it and sounds harmless enough
My mum too used to wander into other peoples rooms.........sit in their chair and toilet whilst in respite

 

[Mameeskye]

Hi Quack

try not to worry too much as it is a stage most of the residents go through. While the staff try their best to keep an eye on known wanderers they cannot always keep track of them, but most relatives understand why it happens as their own relatives do the same thing.

My Mum was really upset when she first went in as she retained a bit of lucidty and a couple of the gents at that time were wanderers so the staff set up a checking system. But in turn she became a wanderer and I found her frequently in others rooms as I went looking when I went to visit.

In the last week of Mum's life I sat in her room when she was bed-ridden when another resident came in and used her loo. I just shrugged and smiled. At least he flushed and washed his hands!

Mameeskye

 

[TinaT]

Hi Quack,

I wonder why it is not feasable to keep bedroom doors locked? This is the norm at my husband's Specialist Care Home. With the best will in the world doors are sometimes accidentally left unlocked, after all it is not a prison and things do, occasionally go missing. It can be a nuisance but it is not a major thing to worry about.

Many of the residents in my husband's home wander around freely but as things do tend to go missing all bedrooms are generally kept locked. I have a key to Ken's bedroom and relatives of other residents are also offered a key.

One of our 'wanderers' collects teddy bears, ornaments, false teeth - in fact anything that is not 'nailed down'. She sometimes finds a couple of rooms unlocked and swaps such things from one room to another. I often find a small pile of assorted objects in the office which she has collected and which are ready to be returned to their rightful owners.

She also wanders into Ken's bedroom when we are watching TV together. She adjusts the ornaments and then wanders out again. No harm done to anyone! Even if I found her asleep on Ken's bed, I would not be offended in any way. She has collected toilet rolls, dustbins and handwashes from toilets. The staff are quite used to this and is is routine to put things back which she has moved.

Such behaviour I would imagine is quite normal in most residential homes and should not be treated as a problem. After all your mum is there because of her difficulties and this particular aspect should be accepted as part of her behaviour.

xxTinaT

xxTinaT

 

[CraigC]

Hi Quack,

I used to worry about this too, particularly as dad was one of two men in a care home full of ladies. But my mind was put at rest by the fact that most of the residents wandered and went into each others rooms. The staff should be well aware of this issue in any home that caters for dementia residents. Dad has always wandered right from the early stages until now although his mobility is causing him trouble now.

In one home they had a lot of problems with residents who would remove items from people's rooms and hide them in little nooks and crannies causing a lot of grief. But it is part of the illness and no one meant any harm. As with Tinas experience there were many days when we'd help hunt for false teeth.

I remember one care home manager saying to me "believe me, there is nothing we haven't seen before", I didn't know what to make of it at first and thought 'what have I done leaving dad here, but ofc ourse they have been caring for many years and experience so much. Often we forget that they have been caring for years and have seen it all.

Mum's home had a bit more trouble with dementia residents, but it was a nursing home and they did not have the experience and facilities to deal with dementia residents properly. A few even escaped.

I wonder what type of home your mum is staying at. Are they dementia only? If so I'd speak to the manager to put your mind at rest, he/she should be well aware of problems like this.

So in a nutshell, as everyone else has said, don't worry yourself, it is quite normal in a dementia home.

Kind Regards
Craig

 

[Margarita]

In One of my mother respite Care homes she been to the
Care home manger told me a few stores about how some people keep wondering into people bedrooms falling asleep in their beds, whilst someone was in the bed, others just sleeping in an empty bed

He found out one Lady was married, so was use to sleeping in a double bed with her husband all her life , other lady was lonely. So he ask the families if they would not mind if the 2 lady shared the same room in 2 single beds in a double room he has for couples . They said they did not mind, he told me it solved this wondering at night time.

I also read that in a CSCI report that all care home the residences should have a draw with a lock in it to keep things in that are of valuable.

Also all rooms of care home should be closed at all time , not left open .

I wonder why it is not feasable to keep bedroom doors locked? This is the norm at my husband's Specialist Care Home.

I would of thought Lock doors are not permitted because of health safety regulation of fire

 

[Brucie]

I would of thought Lock doors are not permitted because of health safety regulation of fire

yes, certainly that - in the event of an alarm, it is standard practice to open all rooms to check there is nobody in there, and to have to unlock each one would be unsafe.

Also, at one stage Jan's home did lock doors, but the keys went missing and it was a constant problem making new ones.

These days wandering is sadly not a problem at Jan's home as the vast majority are unable to move due to their advanced condition. The last week though, a couple of new residents have arrived who pace ceaselessly.

I said to the manager yesterday that the home has changed in character since Jan has been there - when she arrived in 2001 there were only one or two confined to chairs... now it is almost all.

The manager said "yes, I must tell my staff not to look after them so well as that results in their living so long and becoming so advanced". She was joking of course, but there is a lot of truth in what she says and I often find myself wishing for Jan to be at peace.

 

[DianeB]

In Mums home there are wanderers including Mum. I have asked if Mum goes into others rooms and they have said no not yet, she tends to wander just up and down the corridoors and ends up in the laundry room where they have decided to allow her as there is nothing unsafe in there and she can fold towels to her hearts content ..... mum loves housework. However when we are in her bedroom with her we tend to lock the door as others will come in. My Dad at first would reallt get annoyed saying they had no right as this was Mums room ...Dad really does not understand dementia at all. In the end I sat down with him last week and said this .... who ever wanderers in Mums room is somebody elses wife, father grandmother or grandfather, they are not aware what they are doing is wrong this is part of the illness, a while ago Dad you told me Mum said she felt lost in space, well thats how they feel too. How would you like somebody snapping at Mum if she became lost and wandered into another residents room??? That seemed to calm him down.
We also have a key for Mums room and can lock it. Personally I don't really want Mum in her room alone unless in bed as she could fall and be there for some time. I think, although not sure .... for certain at this early stage, but I think during the day their rooms are locked but at night they are left open.

 

[jc141265]

Just adding another post reassuring that this is normal behaviour in homes...
Dad used to wander into people's rooms, but never touched their stuff nor slept in their beds, he just seemed to want to know what was in the various rooms...but I often used to find other people in Dad's bed.
Whilst this seemed to agitate the nursing staff and they would seem quite worried about what I would think of someone else in Dad's bed, I always understood that this is just how dementia works and didn't mind at all. Dad didn't care either.
The only time it can be a problem is if one of the other residents is extremely territorial...so all I'd advise is watch the relationships other residents have towards your Mum..if no one is seeming angry towards her or muttering about her being in their room all the time, your Mum should be pretty safe.
Best wishes,

 

[Quack]

Thanks

Thanks all for your reassurance.

It is a care home as opposed to a nursing home, and not all the residents have dementia. Some residents do lock their doors but quite a lot don't. Some are propped open with automatic locks (activated by the fire system, I think) so people sat in their rooms don't feel so isolated.

The home are fairly clued up dementia wise and whilst I don't think they see it as a problem, I suspect that some of the other residents do.

The other aspect of all this is that Mum is burning off all the calories that she's taking in. She doesn't eat a great deal and even though she has the full cream milk and extra snacks etc she's still just skin and bone. I don't know where she finds the energy, I just wish I could find some.

Thanks again all

Quack