Wander Management in Memory Care: Balancing Freedom and Safety

For many people living with dementia, walking is purposeful. They may be looking for a familiar place, following an old routine, or simply moving because moving feels right. Restricting that freedom can increase distress. Yet an unnoticed exit through a stairwell or front door can put a resident in real danger.

Good wander management respects both truths. It keeps the home open to the resident while protecting the few points where leaving alone would be unsafe.

How it works

Poltys Canada pairs Accutech ResidentGuard wander management with Direct Care Connect DCC™ so that door events become part of the same alert workflow as every other call.

Residents wear a small tag. Only residents at risk of unsafe exit wear one. Everyone else moves through doors as usual.

Monitored doors and elevators recognize the tag. When a tagged resident approaches, the door can alarm or lock, depending on how it has been configured for that exit.

Caregivers are alerted right away. The alert is routed through DCC to the caregivers assigned to that area, with the door location, on their phones, handsets or pagers.

Staff clear the event at the door. A caregiver attends, redirects the resident gently, and clears the alarm with a keypad or authorized code.

A tag residents will actually keep on

A wander system is only as good as the tag's place on the resident. Comfortable, lightweight tags worn on the wrist or ankle, with long battery life and low-battery reporting, help keep protection consistent without constant attention from staff.

Doors, locks and the fire code

Door locking and delayed egress are governed by the building and fire codes that apply in your province and by your local authority having jurisdiction. Every exit is configured to meet those requirements, and doors are designed to release in a fire alarm. Your authorized Poltys dealer plans each door with this in mind.

Beyond the door

Wander management works best as part of a broader picture. Resident pendants with location, inactivity monitoring and contactless sensors in the room all feed DCC, giving caregivers one place to see what is happening across the memory care neighbourhood.