no, the bracelets or pins (usually pinned on the back, where the
patient can't reach it) prevent the door from opening when the
wearer is nearby.

obviously ONLY in your opinion.  i can't see how seeking
something that prevents a wanderer from leaving the house is
admission of inability to care for a LO.  as a matter of fact, i
would consider that an attempt to prevent wandering demonstrates
exactly the opposite.

I would use it a different way -- my mom does not wander now and shows no
inclination to do so. But all it takes is one time -- the first could be the
last. I would hate to make the decision that she couldn't be cared for at
home one day later than needed -- or one day earlier. This could be a safety
net when she has progressed a bit more.

Songbird

I wouldn't agree that thinking of using one is tantamount to admitting
a person can't be looked after safely in their current situation.

I've done a lot of industrial safety work in my career, and in that
discipline, they tend to think of things in terms of multiple barriers.
So, you've got the source of energy or disaster, and you've got a
series of things to keep a person away from it - and only when there
have been multiple failures do you have an accident. A barrier can be
anything from training and procedures, to a pair of rubber gloves,
warning signs, alarms, lockout systems.

Obviously with a person with AD who is a wanderer, you don't want your
ONLY line of  defence to be a perimeter alarm, but it certainly can't
hurt as an added barrier to escape when you add to it vigilence,
special locks or keypadded doors, special clothing, trained help,
medications, medic alert bracelets, alerted neighbours, a courtyard,
whatever you can think of to contain the person, or catch them before
they go far.

We have a security system on our house, and it has a feature that I
thought was stupid when it was installed almost 10 years ago as part of
a renovation. You can turn it off, but somehow...we never have. It
makes a series of quick little beeps whenever any exterior door or
window is opened or closed. I have three kids (now 14, 11 and 7) and I
love that feature. The minute someone comes or goes or opens something,
I know about it, and a lot of the time - I go see whats up (as in, hey,
its the middle of winter and its 2 am, who is opening windows or
doors?, or he just left 5 minutes ago for school and he was late, who
just came back in? Or who is running in and out and playing with
doors?). When they were little, it was great - it prevented more than a
few escapes by little people who managed to get the door open. It
wasn't our only line of defence against 3 year olds playing in the
street, but it sure helped.

Mary G.

Just bumping this -- does anyone have experience with the wandercare
unit (or a similiar unit, the caretrak 100?)  Would the orginal poster
mind sharing feedback about what they think of it after they looked
into it?  I would like some kind of feedback and ideas on it's
strengths and weaknesses before I buy it, so if you are also evaluating
it I (& others perhpas) would appreciate you sharing your thoghts
publically, maybe there is somethign you've thought of that I haven't.
Thanks.