How a Bus Stop Helps Prevent Wandering in Alzheimer’s Patients

Written by on October 23, 2008 - 3 Comments
Categories: Housing, Safety

As a family caregiver, I find it encouraging to read creative solutions to common problems we face and this news story certainly contains one!

If you have cared for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you know your Golden Oldie could possibly wander off and become lost. In Dusseldorf, Germany, the Benrath Senior Centre, came up with an innovative strategy to prevent this from occurring. They put up an exact replica of a standard stop sign outside their facility, with one difference — no buses ever stop there!

Center residents who go outside intent on returning to their often nonexistent prior homes and families, make a beeline for the green-and-yellow bus stop sign and wait for the bus to arrive.

“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee,” said Richard Neureither, Benrath’s director. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.”

This idea has proven so successful that it has now been adopted by several other senior homes across Germany. I hope it’s tried here in the United States as well.

Original news story from the UK Telegraph News can be read here.

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I am on my Golden Oldies Whirlwind Tour (See post of October 20th below). Our regular features, “Inspiring Quotes for Caregivers” and “Funny Fridays,” will return next week!

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3 Responses to “How a Bus Stop Helps Prevent Wandering in Alzheimer’s Patients”

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  1. SpaceAgeSage -- Lori
    October 23, 2008 at 8:24 am

    How wonderfully caring and thoughtful the thinking is behind this idea!

  2. Evelyn Lim
    October 26, 2008 at 9:04 pm

    Oh wow!! What a beautifu idea! Kudos to the person who came up with it!! I hope that it spreads worldwide too, not just Germany and the U.S.

  3. Linda Abbit
    October 29, 2008 at 9:18 am

    Hi Lori,

    Isn’t it amazing what people can come up with!

    Hi Evelyn,

    Thanks for stopping by and for your endorsement of this person’s great idea. I’m hoping to spread the word in the the blogosphere for starters.

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