Keeping those with dementia safe this summer
Spring has sprung and summer
is upon us! People tend to spend
more time outside enjoying the
beautiful weather. Often this leads to
increased incidents of people with Alzheimer’s
disease and related dementias
wandering from their home or
caregivers. If you are currently caring
for someone with dementia, knowing
how to limit wandering and preventing
that person from becoming lost,
will help keep her person safe and give
you greater peace of mind.
Try to follow these steps before
the person with Alzheimer’s disease
wanders:
Make sure the person carries ID or
wears a medical bracelet. If the person
gets lost and can’t communicate
clearly, an ID will let others know
about his or her illness. It also provides
a way to fi nd out where the person
lives.
Consider enrolling the person in
the Wanderer’s Safety Program. Visit
www.caringkindnyc.org/Wander-
Safety or call 646-744-2900 to enroll.
Let neighbors and the local police
know that the person with Alzheimer’s
tends to wander. Ask them to alert
you immediately if the person is seen
alone and on the move.
Place labels in garments to aid in
Caribbean L 72 ife, June 21–27, 2019
identifi cation.
Keep an article of the person’s
worn, unwashed clothing in a plastic
bag to aid in fi nding him or her with
the use of dogs.
Keep a recent photograph or video
recording of the person to help police
if he or she becomes lost.
Here are some tips to help prevent
the person with Alzheimer’s
from wandering away from home:
Keep doors locked. Consider a keyed
deadbolt, or add another lock placed
up high or down low on the door. If the
person can open a lock, you may need
to get a new latch or lock.
Use loosely fi tting doorknob covers
so that the cover turns instead of the
actual knob. (Due to potential hazard
they could cause if an emergency exit
is needed, locked doors and doorknob
covers should be used only when a
caregiver is present.)
Place STOP, DO NOT ENTER, or
CLOSED signs on doors.
Divert the attention
of the person with
Alzheimer’s disease
away from using the
door by placing small
scenic posters on the
door; placing removable
gates, curtains,
or brightly colored
streamers across the
door; or wallpapering
the door to match any
adjoining walls.
Install safety devices
found in hardware
stores to limit
how much window can
be opened.
Install an “announcing
system” that
chimes when the door
opens.
Secure the yard with
fencing and a locked
gate.
Keep shoes, keys,
suitcases, coats, hats, and other signs
of departure out of sight.
Do not leave a person with Alzheimer’s
who has a history of wandering
unattended.
If someone you’re caring for
goes lost, please contact 911 fi rst.
For more information about the MedicAlert
® NYC Wanderer’s Safety Program
and many other caregiving
resources and programs, all free of
charge, call CaringKind’s free 24-
hour Helpline at 646-744-2900 or visit
www.caringkindnyc.org.
Wellness
Care
Chronicle
Jed Levine
If you are currently caring for someone with dementia, knowing
how to limit wandering and preventing that person from
becoming lost will help keep the person safe. Getty Images
r. Alfred C. Winkler
has been named chief
of urology at NewYork-
Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
Hospital. Dr. Winkler,
who is also an assistant professor
of clinical urology at
Weill Cornell Medicine, was
most recently chief of urology
at NewYork-Presbyterian
Lower Manhattan Hospital.
“We are delighted to welcome
Dr. Winkler into this
new role,” said Robert Guimento,
president of NewYork-
Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
Hospital. “Dr. Winkler is
an outstanding clinician who
is deeply committed to providing
the highest quality care to
our patients and to the communities
we serve.”
In his new role, Dr. Winkler
will continue to expand New-
York-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital’s urology
division into a multi-specialty
department offering highquality,
compassionate care
for both men and women with
urologic issues.
“We are pleased to have Dr.
Alfred Winkler as chief of our
renowned urology service at
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital, where
he will lead an outstanding
group of urologists who all
have specialized training
and expertise,” said Dr. Peter
Schlegel, senior associate dean
for clinical affairs and chairman
of the Department of Urology
at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“I am thrilled to be joining
NewYork-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
and to have the opportunity
to work in this incredibly dynamic,
diverse borough,” said
Dr. Winkler. “I look forward
to working with the NewYork-
Presbyterian and Weill Cornell
Medicine team in Brooklyn
to offer patients the very
best urologic care right in
their own community.”
Dr. Winkler’s areas of focus
include men’s health, kidney
stones and bladder dysfunction
in both men and women. He is
passionate about community
health and spreading awareness
of urologic disease, and
his community outreach includes
organizing educational
and screening programs for
prostate cancer and bladder
health, and visiting places of
worship and community centers
to educate people on urologic
health. He plans to continue
these efforts in Brooklyn,
and believes patient education
is an essential part of the collaborative
effort between physician
and patient to achieve
the best outcomes.
“Today, patients have more
access to information than
ever before, but they often only
hear about extremes that create
fear and may delay them
from seeking treatment,” said
Dr. Winkler. “That’s why it is
so important to spend time understanding
patient concerns
inside and outside the office.”
Prior to joining NewYork-
Presbyterian and Weill Cornell
Medicine in 2015, Dr. Winkler
served as the regional director
of the Department of Urology
at NYC Health + Hospitals/
Elmhurst and NYC Health +
Hospitals/Queens, and before
that, at Jacobi Medical Center
and North Central Bronx Hospital,
also operated by NYC
Health + Hospitals. Dr. Winkler
has served as an assistant
professor in the Department of
Urology at Albert Einstein College
of Medicine and Mount Sinai
School of Medicine.
Dr. Winkler received a Master
of Business Administration
from the Stern School of
Business at New York University,
a medical degree from
the Renaissance School of
Medicine at Stony Brook University,
part of the State University
of New York system,
and a bachelor’s degree from
Princeton University. He completed
his internship, general
surgery residency and urology
residency at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine and Montefiore
Medical Center, where
he also served as the chief resident
of urology. He has been a
board-certified urologist and
member of the American Urologic
Association since 1999.
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital is a member
of the NewYork-Presbyterian
Regional Hospital Network. For
more information or to find a physician,
please call 718-499-2273 or
visit nyp.org/brooklyn.
/Wander-
/Wander-Safety
/www.caringkindnyc.org
/Wander-Safety
/www.caringkindnyc.org
/brooklyn