Wandering cannot always be prevented. Use both prevention and an emergency plan: look for patterns and unmet needs, make the environment safer without creating entrapment, and keep the information needed for a search ready before a crisis.
If the person is missing, begin looking immediately and contact emergency services promptly. Do not spend valuable time debating whether the person will probably return.
Notice the signs that leaving risk is increasing
- Trying to “go home” while already home
- Pacing, restlessness, or checking doors at a predictable time
- Talking about work, children, or obligations from an earlier period of life
- Getting lost on a familiar route or taking much longer to return
- Difficulty finding the bathroom, bedroom, or other familiar rooms
Look for a need before adding another device
Check toileting, pain, hunger, thirst, temperature, daytime activity, fatigue, noise, and changes in routine. A door alert may tell you that someone is leaving; it does not explain why they keep trying.
Make the environment safer
Use appropriate lighting, clear paths, door alerts, identification, and professional home-safety advice. Keep coats, keys, or bags that trigger leaving out of sight when appropriate. Never lock a person alone in a way that creates fire, evacuation, or entrapment risk.
Prepare a one-page missing-person record
- A current photo and physical description
- Typical clothing and any identification or tracking service
- Former homes, workplaces, places of worship, routes, and other likely destinations
- Nearby water, traffic, wooded areas, transit stops, and other hazards
- Diagnosis, communication needs, medications, and emergency contacts
Give each person one job
Decide who calls 911, who checks the immediate area, who stays at the home, who contacts neighbors, and who has the photo and medical information. Review the plan after every incident; a repeated near miss is evidence that the current overnight arrangement may need more support.
Try: “If Mom is not in the house, I will call 911 and give them the photo. You check the yard and her old walking route. Sam stays here in case she returns.”
Sources and further reading
- Alzheimer’s Association — Wandering and dementia
- Alzheimer’s Association — Sleep issues and sundowning
Nestoa links to these organizations for source context. A link does not imply endorsement of Nestoa.
Related guidance
When a person with dementia says, “I want to go home”
Respond to the need beneath the words, avoid an argument about the address, and prepare for leaving or wandering risk.
Dementia agitation: what to say in the moment
A short response pattern for fear, pacing, shouting, or escalating frustration—and the signs that require urgent help.
Repeated questions or calls in dementia: what to say
Respond to the need beneath the repetition, reduce avoidable triggers, and use a repeatable script when facts do not stick.
