Wandering: cover tonight, then set up real tracking

Six in ten people with dementia wander at least once, and it is one of the highest-stakes behaviors. Tonight is about quick layers that buy you warning. This week is about real-time tracking and registration so police can find them fast if it happens again.

Tonight, alarms on every exit

Put a cheap battery door alarm that chirps when the door opens on every exterior door, including the door to the garage. Add a pressure mat by the bed or the door. Move locks out of the usual line of sight, high or low on the door, and keep good night lighting. None of this replaces supervision, but it gives you a head start.

Get real GPS, not a Bluetooth tag

This is the part people get wrong. Tile and AirTag are Bluetooth tags. They only show a last-known spot when they happen to pass a stranger's phone, so they are useless for finding someone who is actively wandering. Use a real cellular GPS wearable that shows live location and can alert you when they leave a set area. AngelSense is built for this, and GPS SmartSole hides a tracker inside a shoe insole for someone who will not keep a device on. Life360 on their phone can help too, but only if they carry a charged phone, so treat it as a backup.

This week, register with Project Lifesaver or MedicAlert Safe and Found

Project Lifesaver runs through local sheriff and police agencies. The person wears a radio transmitter and trained responders can locate them in minutes. It is worth it where your county takes part, so search Project Lifesaver and your county, or call the sheriff's non-emergency line. Where it is not available, MedicAlert Safe and Found, run by the MedicAlert Foundation, is the ID-bracelet program with a 24/7 response line that coordinates with police.

If they are missing now, call 911 fast

Do not wait it out. Start looking right away, within about a mile, and check the direction of their dominant hand first. If you have not found them within 15 minutes, call 911. Up to half of people with dementia who are not found within 24 hours suffer serious injury, so speed matters. Tell the dispatcher the person has dementia and is in danger. That is what counts, not any exact phrase. Police can then request a Silver Alert, for age 60 and over, or an Endangered Missing Person Advisory, for any age, through the State Patrol.

Call the Alzheimer's 24/7 helpline for a behavior consult

The Alzheimer's Association line at 1-800-272-3900 is staffed around the clock by master's-level care consultants who can talk through what is driving the wandering, environmental fixes, and questions to ask the doctor. Free and confidential.

If it is happening in a facility, call the Ombudsman

Wandering out of a memory-care facility is called elopement, and a licensed facility is required to assess that risk and have a plan for it. Ask to see the elopement policy and the record of the last incident. The Washington Long-Term Care Ombudsman, at 1-800-562-6028, can look into it, and repeated elopement with no corrective plan can be cited as a deficiency.

After the immediate hour

Once the crisis is delayed or stabilized, you have time. Take the standard quiz to get curated picks for the longer arc. COPES eligibility, your AAA, family caregiver support, what to set up before the next round.

These scripts are paraphrased from caregivers who have been through these situations on r/dementia, r/AgingParents, ALZConnected, and AARP. They are not legal or medical advice. The LTC Ombudsman, your AAA, and the Alzheimer's helpline are all free and can advise on the specifics of your situation.

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