Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
I chose this video because many of the residents I encountered while working at a retirement community/SNF were diagnosed with Alzheimer's/Dementia and they taught me to always expect the unexpected.
This video shows how Alzheimer's affects behavior besides just the memory loss that is usually associated with it. The cameraman's father wanders from room to room, performing various odd tasks and never really seems content with any of them. For instance, he remakes the already made bed several times, taking pillows off and on, and straightening sheets. He also walks over to the litter box and picks up a clump with his hands rather than a scoop and then it takes the son several tries to get his father to wash and rinse both hands. At the end, the son attempts to get his dad to come relax and watch TV with him but the father just keeps making his rounds.
I observed a lot of similar behaviors in the Alzheimer's/Dementia wing of the retirement community I worked and shadowed at before OT school. The area had an open oval-shaped floor plan with the dining tables in the middle so the walkway formed a sort of track in front of the rooms that the residents frequently made their laps around. There were various items and activities on the walls along the walkway that residents could engage with, such as a landline phone that when picked up would call one across the room, ringing until someone picked up the other end. Standing in the middle you could see the conversation unfold, often with both parties talking at the same time about totally different topics. While the phones did not stop the wandering for long, I think it helped briefly by giving them something familiar to do in the otherwise unfamiliar setting. While watching this video I couldn't help but wonder if it might help his father also to have other activities or routines to disrupt his wandering. For instance, since he seemed preoccupied with tidying, he might benefit more if the son asked him to help clean something with him rather than sit down and watch TV. Also, since the son's reaction to the litter box situation implied this was not the first time it had occurred, it might help to add a lid so that the father cannot see the clumps in the first place. A stop sign could also then be placed on top of the lid as a reminder that he does not need to clean the cat box, his son will do it.
Citation:
[Volleybrad]. (2015, July 5). My father's behavior in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzKXhyv_tg
This video shows how Alzheimer's affects behavior besides just the memory loss that is usually associated with it. The cameraman's father wanders from room to room, performing various odd tasks and never really seems content with any of them. For instance, he remakes the already made bed several times, taking pillows off and on, and straightening sheets. He also walks over to the litter box and picks up a clump with his hands rather than a scoop and then it takes the son several tries to get his father to wash and rinse both hands. At the end, the son attempts to get his dad to come relax and watch TV with him but the father just keeps making his rounds.
I observed a lot of similar behaviors in the Alzheimer's/Dementia wing of the retirement community I worked and shadowed at before OT school. The area had an open oval-shaped floor plan with the dining tables in the middle so the walkway formed a sort of track in front of the rooms that the residents frequently made their laps around. There were various items and activities on the walls along the walkway that residents could engage with, such as a landline phone that when picked up would call one across the room, ringing until someone picked up the other end. Standing in the middle you could see the conversation unfold, often with both parties talking at the same time about totally different topics. While the phones did not stop the wandering for long, I think it helped briefly by giving them something familiar to do in the otherwise unfamiliar setting. While watching this video I couldn't help but wonder if it might help his father also to have other activities or routines to disrupt his wandering. For instance, since he seemed preoccupied with tidying, he might benefit more if the son asked him to help clean something with him rather than sit down and watch TV. Also, since the son's reaction to the litter box situation implied this was not the first time it had occurred, it might help to add a lid so that the father cannot see the clumps in the first place. A stop sign could also then be placed on top of the lid as a reminder that he does not need to clean the cat box, his son will do it.
Citation:
[Volleybrad]. (2015, July 5). My father's behavior in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdzKXhyv_tg
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