People with dementia risk going missing during LNY

SAFETY: The Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association issued the advice after the body of entertainer Judy Lin’s father, who had gone missing, was found yesterday

• By Shen Li-hsin and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The risk of people with dementia wandering off increases during the Lunar New Year (LNY) holiday, the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association said yesterday.

The association issued the warning after the body of entertainer Judy Lin’s (林葉亭) father was found yesterday.

Lin’s 85-year-old father, who had dementia, left home and lost contact with his family on Jan. 16 while they were cleaning their family house. He was found dead in a private pool in Taipei yesterday.

The association said that caring for people with dementia can be more challenging during the Lunar New Year holiday, as unfamiliar friends or relatives and changes in habits or environments can agitate them.

Simple, interesting activities such as strolling, playing mahjong, creating spring couplets or giving red envelopes can be used to substitute for their regular community activities, it said.

Children or grandchildren can ask elderly people with dementia to teach them how to make sticky rice cakes, or to do simple exercises following instructions from workout tutorial videos, the association said.

That would not only help family members understand the needs of people with dementia, but also bolster family bonding and make the family reunion more meaningful, it added.

Friends and relatives visiting people with dementia should take the initiative to make self-introductions and avoid asking them to guess who the guest is, it said, adding that visitors should also meet people with dementia separately to prevent them from being overstimulated or exhausted.

If people with dementia seem unable to cope with the hustle and bustle and the crowd, overstimulation such as visiting busy streets should be avoided.

They can be moved to a quiet place and pacified by familiar caregivers, or guided to do activities or eat food they enjoy to stabilize their emotions and create a more comfortable environment, it said.

To prevent people with dementia from feeling ill, healthy food such as fruits should be eaten, while food items like sticky rice cakes and jellies that can easily cause choking should be avoided, the association said.

To ensure safety, areas where people with dementia spend most of their time should be kept clean and tidy, it said.

The cold weather during the holiday increases the risk of incidents for people with dementia wandering and getting lost, so family members must pay special attention to whether they are keeping warm, it said.

Their jackets can be placed at the house’s entryway so they can be easily put on when they go out, the association said.

Their backpack or outfit can be equipped with assistant devices such as emergency cards, the “heart badge” or global positioning systems to prevent them from getting lost, it said.

While support from friends and family is important, people are advised to use services under the Taiwan Long-term Care 2.0 program if they are eligible, including people with conditions or disabilities, people aged 50 or older with dementia, indigenous people aged 55 or older with physical disabilities, and people aged 65 or older with disabilities, it said.

Appointments must be made in advance to use such services during the holiday, the association said, adding that one people call 1966 for detailed information from regional long-term care centers.

Preparations should also be made for people with dementia to have follow-up appointments and enough medicine, it said.

Refillable prescriptions for people with chronic illnesses can be used to get medicine 10 days earlier in accordance with the National Health Insurance Administration’s rules, it said.

Family members should monitor the medicine use of people with dementia and assist them in organizing and recording their medication, it said.