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Holiday Chaos Can Bring Confusion; Decorations, Crowds May Spur Some Seniors with Dementia to Roam
By Cindy George, Houston Chronicle
December 8, 2008
Warm thoughts of her hometown a week before Thanksgiving prompted Estelle Williams to walk away from her Houston apartment into the chilly night wearing a T-shirt, shorts and slippers.
The 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient got the notion to leave while longing for her childhood home of Livingston, relatives said. Her husband, an elderly man who uses a walker, wasn't fast enough to stop her.
Williams caught rides on city buses, relatives said, and surfaced three days later at a homeless shelter. Employees at the Star of Hope recognized her as the missing elderly woman whose photo had been flashed on the news and called authorities.
For those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, holiday frenzy and changes in routine can prove disruptive.
According to the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association, the weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas bring a 10 percent uptick in calls to its national, 24-hour hot line about people who have wandered away. During the 2007 holiday season, there was a 31 percent increase in calls compared with the rest of the year.
"My suspicion is that the holidays cause a lot of chaos in families," said social worker Michelle Sonnier, a family service coordinator for the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. "People are running about shopping and attending parties. In this season, we really get absorbed in what we are doing and not prepared for our loved one who has Alzheimer's."
During the holidays, dementia patients may be prone to wander because of travel to unfamiliar places or the absence of their usual caregivers. Holiday decor may make homes unrecognizable. Some may become confused amid festive activities or crowds of people.
Sonnier suggests providing constant supervision of Alzheimer's patients, keeping doors locked, setting home alarms to sound when doors open, and confiscating car keys.
Williams was one of several recent cases of missing seniors with dementia.
The same week that Williams disappeared, 93-year-old Luetellie Pinesette wandered off on the way home from a La Marque convenience store. The preacher and retired railroad worker, who had a mild case of Alzheimer's, was found dead about three miles away in a Hitchcock bayou. Police do not think that foul play was involved.
Electronic highway signs in Houston also flashed recently with information about a 67-year-old Victoria man with dementia who drove away from home. He was found alive in Mexico. Not all seniors who wander make the news.
"We receive phone calls almost daily, especially this time of the year, because wandering, for whatever reason, sort of skyrockets," Sonnier said.
Dementia can affect memory, attention span, language and problem-solving.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, can be treated and managed, but it cannot be cured. In the early stages, the most common symptom is memory loss. Individuals may become easily disoriented and confused and may walk off in an attempt to find familiar surroundings.
Sonnier knows about the wandering issue personally. Her now-deceased, 73-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer's once slipped away from an aunt's northside El Paso home about 3 a.m. Later, wearing a nightgown, she showed up at a friend's southside house.
"She wandered away three more times," Sonnier said. "We had to learn to keep her safe, and it wasn't easy because, honestly, we didn't even think about seeking help."
Last year, Texas began the Silver Alert program that issues a statewide notice of missing elderly people with mental impairments. The Texas Department of Public Safety posts information on highway electronic signs. The roadside notices are especially helpful because most of the missing elderly drive away, said DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange.
There have been about 70 alerts since the law took effect Sept. 1, 2007. Most of the missing have been recovered safely.
Sonnier touts the Alzhei- mer's Association's Safe Return national identification program that allows families to register loved ones with dementia and record their medical information. Enrolled patients wear an ID bracelet or necklace with a toll-free number that finders as well as families can call. The program has a $49.95 enrollment fee and $25 annual renewal charge.
Williams, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about five years ago, gets confused easily, her relatives said. She usually recognizes her husband and daughter, but not others.
Ebony McHenry says Williams often asks her: "What's your name, baby?"
"This is your granddaughter. This is Ebony," the 26-year-old replies.
"I have to introduce myself every day," she said. "I will try to remind her of things we did the day before. She'll say: 'I don't really remember, but I guess you're telling the truth.' "
With Williams safely back home, relatives say someone is with her and her elderly husband at all times.
"We're not visiting. We are staying here," McHenry said. "We talk to her every day and let her know how much we were worried about her and, if she feels like she needs to go somewhere, that we'll be more than happy to take her."
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