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Nov. 24, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran : The Atheists' unintended gift
JWisdom.com: You are a Philanthropist with Aliza Bulow (5 minutes)
Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review August 19, 2008 / 18 Menachem-Av 5768

Should we move our wandering Mom to a new facility?

By Jan L. Warner & Jan Collins


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Q: After Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago, my father took care of her at home until he was unable to do so due to stress and safety concerns. (Mom wanders.) When she was home, it sometimes took us hours to find her. She's repeatedly ended up wandering near a busy highway. The police picked her up several times, and Dad was almost charged with neglect.


Finally, when Dad reluctantly agreed to admit her to a nursing home, we emphatically told the facility that if they did not continually watch her, she would be out the door in a heartbeat. The nursing home assured us they had security systems that would prevent this.


However, Mom has been able to get out of the facility three times in the past month. The last time, she was gone for nearly six hours. The facility tells us they are reviewing their systems and have not had this problem before. Should we leave her there or move her to another facility? We are paying a pretty penny for her care.


A: Because of cognitive deficiencies, wanderers misperceive their environment and tend to place themselves in dangerous situations. According to a study by the University of Florida, 60 percent of all Alzheimer's patients will stray at least once. And, of those who are gone for more than 24 hours, up to 46 percent may die. Many more may be injured from exposure to the elements or from being struck by a motor vehicle. With the number of dementia and Alzheimer's patients increasing, wandering is fast becoming a law-enforcement nightmare. And, as your father found out, criminal charges of neglect may be lodged, especially when the conduct is repetitive.


Nursing homes have an obligation — not only to identify wanderers, but also to develop and implement prevention programs. According to federal law, Medicare- and Medicaid-\certified facilities must develop and then review and revise each resident's plan of care every 90 days unless there are significant changes in the resident's needs, in which case more frequent care-plan review is mandated. It seems in your mother's case that the facility's systems are lacking and unacceptable, especially in light of your upfront warnings to the facility about this problem.


WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Does the facility have a specialty unit for Alzheimer's and dementia residents where the environment is designed specifically for the care of residents who wander or are aggressive? Has the facility made environmental modifications to discourage wandering, such as: 1) putting full-length mirrors on doors and exits, 2) camouflaging doors with wall coverings or window treatments, 3) putting stop signs on doors, 4) installing an alarm system on all exits, 5) placing sensors on resident's wrists or ankles that activate alarms when the resident approaches the exit, and/or 6) using chair and bed alarm systems that activate when moved?


WHAT TO DO: In dealing with situations like this, research should be done before admission. Since families generally don't know what to look for and are under tremendous stress, we can't overestimate the value of hiring an experienced geriatric-care manager to assist in choosing a facility that meets the needs of the family. To find a care manager in your area, go to www.caremanager.org. Meanwhile, since your mother is at risk, we suggest that you obtain the facility's records to determine whether there have been other complaints about patient wandering. If security concerns are not resolved quickly, move your mother to another facility.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JAN L. WARNER received his A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Carolina and earned a Master of Legal Letters (L.L.M.) in Taxation from the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a frequent lecturer at legal education and public information programs throughout the United States. His articles have been published in national and state legal publications. Jan Collins began co-authoring Flying SoloŽ in 1989. She has more than 27 years of experience as a journalist, writer, and editor. To comment or ask a question, please click here.

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