Roam If You Want to: Unlocking Doors for Patients With Dementia

The author of Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care and Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-Being, G. Allen Power, MD, posted a photo on social media of a door in a dementia unit decorated to resemble the corner of a lovely room with a bookcase and flowers in a vase. At first glance, it is visually appealing. But the truth is, said Dr. Power, it is still a door. Instead of disguising or locking doors to keep people from leaving, “We need to figure out why they want to leave, and we need to think about the needs we’re not meeting,” he said.