How to help prevent those living with Alzheimer's from wandering

It's a scary thing when memories begin to fade, and if you know anyone living with Alzheimer's, you know the dangers the illness can bring.

A new study focusing on the disease shows that nearly 50 per cent of families surveyed have experienced their loved ones wandering away or getting lost. Of those families, one in five called the police for assistance.

"Some of the warning signs might be just a desire to return home if they're already home," said Greg Charyna, co-owner of Home Instead Senior Care, the organization that conducted the study.

Charyna said more common signs include a desire to return to work, insisting the needto complete a certain activity, or trying to leave to see family somewhere else.

"They're talking about it and they have a sense of urgency around that," he explained.

He said the best way to deal with the situation would be to redirect the person and invite them to talk about something else. For example, if they're talking about heading to work, get them to talk about what it isabout work that they love.

"They'll feel like they've already been so they don't have to have that urgency to leave where they are to go there," Charyna explained.

Purposeful wandering

He said when it comes to wandering, it's not random it's purposeful.

"We had a client who was in hospital and we were asked to be a companion during the evening hours because this person was prone to wander out of his room into other people's rooms," said Charyna. "What the caregiver learned by spending the evening with this man was that he was reliving the war the hallway lights were dim at midnight or at 1 a.m. and he would be purposefully moving about and our person would be there."

He said the best way to deal with a situation like that would be to enter into that world and go along with the person while reassuring them that everything is safe.

"We want to connect and not correct."

For more information about warning signs and how to cope with wandering loved ones, click here.