My wife’s mom has Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier tonight, we left her parents alone at their Airbnb while we took the kids to urgent care for ear infections. Her dad fell asleep on the couch. Her mom wandered out the door… 🧵
We rushed back as soon as we heard she was missing. It was dark and raining steadily. Her coat was still on the rack. Her wallet still on the table. I ran up and down the block asking neighbors if they had seen her. We got in our cars and combed the entire neighborhood. No luck.
@davethompsonMD Its a terrible ordeal for families & the patient. I know of 2 situations where the wandering dementia victim died in terrible circumstances. Don’t ever criticize families who need to place their loved one in Memory Care. The greatest gift is to keep them safe. Been there.
@davethompsonMD That’s my life. 24/7 caretaker for my mother with dementia. I have motion sensors and alarms on everything! She wanders so have every exit point (windows also) wired for alarms. Has helped big time!