July 8, 2024

What Is Wandering and Why Does It Happen?

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

For dementia caregivers, wandering is a common concern, for good reason: certain studies estimate that about 60% of people with dementia will wander. To help prevent wandering, you can start by understanding what wandering is, why it happens and how to help.

What is wandering?

Wandering in people with dementia is often different from the wandering you might see in other people. For most people, “wandering” suggests movement that is “aimless.” For people with dementia, however, the movement may be, and often is, purposeful with a specific destination. What sets it apart, however, is that it is usually movement without the understanding of how to return.

“Wandering means that they may have left their home with a purpose,” explains Sara Terry, senior vice president of Resident and Family Engagement at Brookdale Senior Living. “However, they may experience not knowing where they are going after time has gone by or how to return.”

Why does wandering happen?

Wandering can happen for any number of reasons. A walk to the dining room for breakfast, an intentional lap around the courtyard and a quick trip to one’s own bathroom could all become potential cases of wandering. People with dementia may also wander because they are still accustomed to an old routine.

“For example, if the [person] always met the bus their children were on returning from school, they may feel the need to take a walk each day around 3 p.m. — however, they may not be able to explain why,” says Terry.

Wandering poses several potential dangers to dementia patients:

Safety risks: They may encounter hazardous situations, such as inclement weather, uneven terrain, or busy streets without realizing the risks.
Health concerns: Wandering can sometimes lead to physical exhaustion, dehydration and injury.
Emotional distress: Becoming lost can be a highly anxiety-inducing situation for the person wandering when they realize they are lost — as well as for their loved ones.

It's important to note that wandering is rarely a one-time occurrence, and it tends to happen repeatedly if not adequately managed. Given the risks listed above, as well as the risk of repetition, preventing wandering is often considered a critical component of dementia care.

How can caregivers help?

To help prevent wandering, it is important to keep entrances and exits secured. But caring for people with dementia is about more than locked doors.

While Brookdale memory care communities feature secured and monitored entrances and exits, “security also means that the resident feels like they belong,” Terry says. One of Brookdale’s tools is our daily path of engagement, which provides opportunities for each resident to participate in structured, purposeful activities that they might enjoy and find meaningful.

If you're caring for a person with dementia at home, it's important to recognize that they may feel sad or purposeless if they're not used to having everything done for them. To help to prevent this, you could involve them in various activities that help them feel useful and engaged. It may be helpful to encourage them to perform familiar tasks, like folding laundry. This not only can keep them active, but may also help identify any needs they might have that could make them want to leave their secure environment.

An active day can also help reduce the risk of nighttime wandering. “Make sure the person is engaged, active and exercises during the day, so at night, the person is tired,” says Terry. “Other ideas for nighttime include making sure there is water next to the bed in case the person gets thirsty and keeping a routine prior to sleep.”

Lastly, recognize the types of feelings that may arise for a person with dementia during and following an episode of wandering. Feelings of confusion, disorientation and abandonment are not uncommon so it can be important to help reassure, guide and validate the patient.

Wandering is a significant concern in dementia care, but with the right strategies and precautions, caregivers can help mitigate the risks. By creating a secure environment, engaging people with dementia in meaningful activities and helping them maintain a feeling of belonging and purpose, caregivers may be able to help reduce the likelihood of wandering and help ensure their safety and well-being.

Learn more about managing time changes to make them less stressful for people with dementia.

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