As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, some symptoms appear randomly and without warning. Don’t make the mistake of believing your mom is still capable of taking her daily walks by herself. You never know when one of the more troubling symptoms will occur.
She May Not Dress for the Conditions
People with Alzheimer’s lose judgment skills. It can be below zero outside and a senior with Alzheimer’s puts on a windbreaker and goes outside. If that senior locks the door and forgets the house keys, hypothermia is a huge risk.
It’s also common to see someone with Alzheimer’s wearing jeans and a sweatshirt on a hot, humid day. Unless a caregiver is helping them pick their clothes and get dressed before going outside, there is a risk of being in the wrong outfit and putting personal safety at risk.
She Can Get Lost
You’ve probably seen many stories of people with Alzheimer’s becoming lost. They may try to find the home they had as a childhood or simply not recognize where he or she is. A GPS tracker can help family members find a family member who has wandered off and gotten lost, but it may be too late.
With someone joining your mom for her daily walk, the chance of her getting lost or wandering away is minimal. It could only happen if something occurred with the walking companion. A senior care agency can schedule daily companionship to make sure your mom has someone to walk with.
She Could Fall
A family in New England discovered the risk of letting a parent with Alzheimer’s walk alone. Their dad walked daily and never had issues. One winter’s day, he didn’t return. Search parties were dispatched and a full day passed before he was found. He’d fallen down an embankment and was lying next to the river.
Prevent tragedies like this by making sure your mom always has a companion while walking. Senior care aides can join her for daily walks and help her in other ways, too.
She May Experience Delusional Thoughts While Walking
One family started to question their mom’s ability to walk alone after she came home terrified that a neighbor was trying to kill her. It was the first time they’d experienced delusional thoughts. After talking to other neighbors, they learned the person that their mom said had threatened her was at work when the incident happened.
What her doctor believed was that something she walked by made her think of her favorite mystery show. That fictional show’s plot somehow became very real at that moment. Her family couldn’t let her walk alone after that.
These are just a few of the things that can happen when someone with Alzheimer’s takes a walk alone. Don’t put your mom at risk. Call a senior care agency to talk about Alzheimer’s care.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED-ONE ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN ROLESVILLE, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.