HELP, has anybody any suggestions to slow down my dad who is constantly walking up and down the stairs he is 87. I am 30 years younger than him and I am unable to keep up with him my fear is that he will fall down the stairs if I block them off he will tries to get out of house and gets very frustrated and angry if he is not in constant motion. The Doctor has lowered his Aricept to slow him down this has had no effect. He seems unable to keep still for more than ten minutes unless he is zapped out with sleeping tablets.
Unable to Keep Still
- Thread starter wonderwoman
- Start date
Hi wonderwoman. I have often seen this behaviour in care homes. There are always a few walkers in constant motion, some of whom have to be persuaded to stop for meals and drinks. They burn a lot of calories. I had not realised that sometimes people do it at home also, although I am familiar with constant fiddling, tidying, sorting, throwing out stuff, and taking apart household gadgets and electrical equipment.
It seems to be a compulsion for some people to either escape from their confusion or to put things back in order in their head. I think it's called purposiveness.
I can't imagine how you can manage your dad's safety where he is going up and down stairs.
When I've talked to CH staff they say that you can't stop people from needing to walk, although some can be distracted for a while. Has your dad had an assessment by an Occupational Therapist? Ask your GP for a referral to OT. The OT, if a good one, will assess home environment needs and risks with regard both to physical frailty and cognitive impairment.
They could have equipment you could borrow. Examples: motion-activated sensor alarm or pressure pad alarm that warns you when someone has moved in to or out of an area of the house. There are visual distractions that can work to prevent someone going through a doorway - a curtain making the door 'out of sight and out of mind', or a dark floor mat that can look to someone with dementia as if there is a hole in the floor.
I'm just giving thoughts at random. You need advice from an expert to modify your dad's behaviour and help restrict his movements to relatively safe areas in the house. Good luck. I will be very interested to hear how you get on.
It seems to be a compulsion for some people to either escape from their confusion or to put things back in order in their head. I think it's called purposiveness.
I can't imagine how you can manage your dad's safety where he is going up and down stairs.
When I've talked to CH staff they say that you can't stop people from needing to walk, although some can be distracted for a while. Has your dad had an assessment by an Occupational Therapist? Ask your GP for a referral to OT. The OT, if a good one, will assess home environment needs and risks with regard both to physical frailty and cognitive impairment. They could have equipment you could borrow. Examples: motion-activated sensor alarm or pressure pad alarm that warns you when someone has moved in to or out of an area of the house. There are visual distractions that can work to prevent someone going through a doorway - a curtain making the door 'out of sight and out of mind', or a dark floor mat that can look to someone with dementia as if there is a hole in the floor.
I'm just giving thoughts at random. You need advice from an expert to modify your dad's behaviour and help restrict his movements to relatively safe areas in the house. Good luck. I will be very interested to hear how you get on.
