When people with dementia walk - a guide for carers

• Walking may be just a phase: eventually the person with dementia may stop trying to get up and go places.
• Walking may appear aimless, but almost certainly has a purpose behind it, even if the person with dementia cannot explain his or her reasoning very clearly.
• In order to best deal with the situation of a person with dementia who is walking, consider the reasons why the person is walking.
• There is no such thing as a completely risk-free environment: but you can minimise risks.

• If you can let the person walk freely in a safe area, do so.
• You can make the house safer for a person with dementia walking around at home
• You can set up simple alarms so that the person you are caring for cannot go out without your knowledge.
• Remember that walking, or other forms of regular gentle exercise, may actually help someone with dementia keep her or his mind in better shape.
• If a person with dementia is walking because of too much energy, it may help if he or she can join an exercise class.
• You may be able to divert the person with dementia from wanting to walk by giving her or him a clear task to perform.
• Make sure that the person has a contact phone number on him or her at all times when outside the house.
• Tell neighbours and other people in advance that the person has dementia and may get lost or confused.
• Make sure the person's home is easily identifiable from the street to help both the person with dementia and someone trying to help her or him find the house or flat.
• Always have a recent photograph of the person with dementia to hand, and a list of useful information to help identify or find the person.

He's just home from the care centre, and he goes for a walk between 4:30 and 5, then we have our tea. Then he goes for a walk. He will not sit still unless I give him something to do. TV won't hold him. He's always been that type of man, he never sat very much. It's not till you're retired that you notice, and it's only got worse.
- Carer, talking about her husband

Sometimes people with dementia walk – this is often referred to as 'wandering'. They may walk around the house, or they may leave their homes, sometimes at odd hours of the day or night. Perhaps they can't explain where they want to go, or their explanation doesn't seem to make sense. Often the person's walking can be frightening for the carer, who worries about him or her getting lost or hurt. Or the carer may be frustrated because of restless walking.

In Inverness, he had the roads, and he would come back. But on the island, it was so empty, and I wouldn't know where he'd gone. He could have gone along the cliff path, where the rocks were crumbling. … You're waiting for the worst. You're just waiting to hear what might have happened. You can't sit, you can't eat, you're just waiting for the terrible news. … So far the Lord has spared him. But there's a busy road not a mile from where we lived, and if he'd tried to cross it, well, I don't know what might have happened.
- Carer, talking about her husband

Walking can be one of the most stressful issues that a carer of a person with dementia can face. But it may be possible to improve the situation both for you and for the person with dementia. 

What do we mean by walking?

A person with dementia may wander away from home, or walk restlessly about the house, apparently unable or unwilling to stay still. In the past this has been called 'wandering'. We now call this behaviour 'walking', as often it's inappropriate to describe what the person with dementia is doing as wandering: he or she may have a very definite purpose, even if it isn't immediately obvious.

One time we saw a lot of cars parked outside, and my son said 'Oh, there must be a football match on.' And my husband said 'Oh, there's a match, I must go.' And we said 'Wait a minute, you don't have a ticket!' But he said 'What do you mean, don't be stupid, I don't need a ticket, I'm one of the directors, I've got my box.' And he just went off, we couldn't stop him. My son phoned up the football ground and told them: there's a man coming along, he thinks he's one of the directors, here's my number to call if there's any trouble. I died a thousand deaths, waiting for him. ….. We asked where have you been, and he said 'I've been to the football, I had tea and pies'.
- Carer

Walking may be just a phase. Eventually the person with dementia may stop trying to get up and go places. Often in the later stages of dementia, the person becomes calmer and less likely to roam about.