Baby, it's cold outside!

The weather is bitterly cold here in Indiana. It doesn't take long in this kind of weather for frostbite, hypothermia or even death to occur in the elderly. I have seen several reports of people who have wandered from their homes. What are you doing to protect your loved ones? There are many things you can do to create a safer environment to prevent wandering. 

1. Be aware that wandering is a possibility. And be prepared. If they have wandered once, they will wander again.

2. Put alarms on all exterior doors to alert you that the door has been opened. 

3. Get a motion sensor alarm to put above the bedroom door to alert you if your person leaves the room at night.

4. Use a baby monitor when you are in a different room so you can hear if anything is amiss.

5. Get a GPS system to help you locate your loved one quickly if they should leave home. Some of the life alert systems have a GPS built in and can be set to alert you if they go farther than a certain distance from home.

6. Even for seniors who do not have dementia they are at risk with the extreme cold weather. Please call and check on the seniors in your life. Make sure they have heat. Check in regularly. N

Let's keep our seniors safe. They depend on us! #dementia, #Alzheimer's