leaving the house
They keep trying to leave the house. How do I keep them safe?
5 min read
Walking about usually has a purpose behind it — going to work, collecting children, going home, or simply needing to move. Meet the purpose rather than blocking it: a safe loop indoors, a secure garden, a walk at the time the urge appears. Prepare for the day they do get out. Locking someone in is a restriction of their liberty and a decision to take with professionals, not a first move.
What to try
- 1Work out what the walking is for by noting the time and what they say. The reason is usually consistent.
- 2Build walking into the day deliberately — a daily walk at the time the urge usually appears.
- 3Keys and coats out of sight can reduce the cue to leave. Work with the walking rather than against it — a safe loop indoors, a secure garden with an even path, a daily walk at the time the urge usually appears.
- 4Prepare now: a recent photograph, a written description of what they usually wear, a list of places they might head for.
- 5An identity bracelet or a card in their coat pocket can help, and trusted neighbours are worth telling. A tracking device needs the person’s consent — ask them while they can still weigh it up, and if they cannot, that is a decision to take with their health or social care team rather than alone.
What to avoid
- Never lock them in when they are alone — it is dangerous if there is a fire or a fall, and people injure themselves trying to get out. Locking a door to stop someone leaving is a restriction of their liberty, and where they cannot agree to it, it is a decision that involves professionals rather than one to take alone.
- Arguing about why they cannot go out.
- Assuming a familiar route will keep them oriented — route-finding fails before recognition of the street does.
A prepared folder is worth an hour of your time
Keep a current photograph, a physical description, medical details, and a short list of significant addresses in one place — a former home, an old workplace, a church, a bus stop. If you ever need it, you will need it in a hurry and not be thinking clearly.
How this guide was made
Written by
Written independently for Riparo. It is not copied or adapted from any organisation’s material.
Evidence checked
Some key points have been checked against published national dementia guidance; others have not been.
Reviewed by
Not clinically reviewed. No clinician has checked this guide.