Fake bus stop keeps Alzheimer's patients from wandering off

**bijou** · 06-03-2008, 07:03 PM

The idea was first tried at Benrath Senior Centre in Düsseldorf, which pitched an exact replica of a standard stop outside, with one small difference: buses do not use it.

The centre had been forced to rely on police to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent homes and families.

Then Benrath teamed up with a local care association called the "Old Lions". They went to the Rheinbahn transport network which supplied the bus stop.

...

"Our members are 84 years old on average. Their short-term memory hardly works, but the long-term memory is still active.

"They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home."

The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place.

"We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee," said Richard Neureither, Benrath's director. "Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave."

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ering-off.html

That's an imaginitive solution, the simplest ideas are often the best.

**Phillygirl** · 06-03-2008, 07:18 PM

Wow. What a great idea and kudos to them for implementing it.

**SaintLouieWoman** · 06-04-2008, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by bijou

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ering-off.html

That's an imaginitive solution, the simplest ideas are often the best.

The simplest solutions are the best and allows them some dignity.

I remember visiting my mom and seeing this one little patient who always would tell the girl serving dinner to bring her a doggie bag so she could take the stuff home. Her daughter would go into this big spiel telling her mom that she was in a home and she didn't have a refrigerator in the room and on and on. Finally, I quietly suggested to just play along with her and she'd forget about the doggie bag. It didn't do any good to argue with her. Don't know if she ever listened. I hope she did.

**Gingersnap** · 06-04-2008, 12:48 AM

I don't whether to laugh or cry about this. Where are their children?

I spent 15 years taking care of my Mom. It was time well spent.

**SaintLouieWoman** · 06-04-2008, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by Gingersnap1

I don't whether to laugh or cry about this. Where are their children?

I spent 15 years taking care of my Mom. It was time well spent.

Sad that many of the children aren't around too much. We go to my mom's former nursing home once a month with the dogs. Some of the folks never have visitors. It's very sad.