Exit-seeking changes the calculation more than almost any other symptom, because it converts a supervision problem into a safety one.
Short answer
When staying home stops being viable, and what a secured memory care unit actually requires in your state.
What to do, in order
- Recognise what has changed. Exit-seeking converts a supervision problem into a safety one.
- Take practical steps immediately. Door alarms, secured exits, and enrolment in a wandering-response program.
- Understand your state's requirement. New York requires SNALR certification for a community to be licensed for dementia-specific memory care -- ask to see it by name.
- Ask specific questions on tours. How are exits secured, what happens when a resident tries a door, what is the overnight staffing ratio inside the secured unit specifically.
