Hello Memory Partners!

Winter is upon us – Brrrr!  Lucky for us, it never stays cold here for very long. But when it does dip into the freezing temps, it creates extra challenges. Not only does it make most of us want to stay in the cozy indoors, which could increase feelings of isolation, but for people with dementia who are prone to wandering, it creates an additional safety risk. Read below for information about keeping your loved one safe from getting lost in the cold. And while we’re spending more time indoors, you may feel a bit of cabin fever. If you’re feeling restless, the person you’re caring for might too, which might result in aggressive behavior. Read on for information on how to de-escalate a tense situation.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside – a discussion of safety in freezing temperatures.

An unfortunate aspect of brain changes is confusion, and with that confusion can come poor safety awareness and unsafe behaviors. One of those behaviors that can be especially tricky to manage is wandering. Wandering is unsafe in any climate, but adding freezing temperatures to the situation makes it even more dangerous. So, what can we do to maintain safety?

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers us four tips:

1. Look for the cause of the wandering. Is the person you’re caring for upset about something? Is the need to leave the home a response to a stressful situation? Or is it a simple desire to go for a walk? Try to determine the reason he or she wants to leave the house, and if you can prevent it or make it safer by walking with them.
2. Safeguard the home. There are numerous products on the market that can help to keep a person safely in the home when they are confused and prone to wandering. Afterall, we can’t be vigilant 100 percent of the time. Try door alarms or knob covers to make the door more difficult to open to help when you are otherwise occupied. But be careful not to leave a person in a home alone if they can’t evacuate in the event of a fire or other emergency.
3. Look for patterns. Does this happen every day at the same time? During certain weather? Or maybe it happens when you are engaged in a particular activity? Noting patterns can help prevent wandering from happening in the first place.
4. Develop a safety plan. Make sure your neighbors are aware of the situation so that they can be watchful and alert you if they see your person outside unaccompanied. You may also want to consider purchasing a GPS enabled tracking device to make it easier to locate someone in the event they do wander away.

To read the full article, click here:

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America | Protecting Individuals with Dementia from Wandering During the Winter: 4 Tips from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America    (alzfdn.org)

 

De-escalation– that is the key word.

If we need to de-escalate, we recognize someone’s primitive brain; their amygdala (which controls the fright, flight, fight) has reached a point of feeling threatened in some way. They have probably been through the fright and possibly flight, and are gearing up for the fight mode. It has become obvious to us that they are seeking relief; they are in a “seek mode.” In this mode, they will be agitated, become upset, and this could lead to aggressive behavior because they are feeling threatened in some way. It is no longer hidden and the aggression you see is the primitive brain actually pushing back, feeling to the point where they must take out the “enemy.” We need to pause at this moment and take a step back. If we jump in all panicking because we want this to stop, our amygdala will take off and that will not help matters.

Take notice of their level of distress and what they what or need. Look at the surroundings: place, people and props. What about the place that is potentially causing this threat? What about the people? What is going on with the props around – are there any props? Pause and validate showing them that they are being heard, and join forces. Be willing to go where they are and attend to their needs: “Wow! You’re right, let me help you with that.” Once they see you are on their side and trying to help, use a calm voice and relaxed body and slowly move into redirecting.

Refer to Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care for a demonstration:

https://youtu.be/xNznZ2MnV3I?si=4g6pI98mxSQaiIKG