How to Help with Wanting to Go Home

The hippocampus helps us keep a timeline of our life’s events and helps us orient ourselves in our surroundings. With loss of sense of time some people living with dementia may shift their time to a much earlier in their life. This confusion causes people to try to fill unmet needs both emotionally and physically which often leads people to want a safe place. Usually when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of “home” rather than home itself. “Home” may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.

Things to consider about where they are currently living:

• Is it filled with people or objects that they enjoy?
• Are there people or objects that tie them to their whole life, even before dementia was present?
• Does this space work for them and their current abilities?

When they don’t recognize the home there are in

• Understand and acknowledge the feelings behind the wish to go home.
• Find out where 'home' is for them
• Often people with dementia describe “home” as a pleasant, peaceful place where they were happy. They could be encouraged to talk about why they were happy there. This can give an idea what the underlining needs are. I.e. pain could be causing them to want to go home or anxiety or boredom.
• Make sure to reassure them of their safety and care they have available and then try shifting their focus to something pleasant they can do I.e. pictures, food, music, or other activities, such as going for a walk.

Look for patterns for when they ask to go home:

• Time of the day
• what seems to be the common denominator about these times I.e. near mealtimes (and would a snack perhaps help)
• when the environment is noisier than usual
• possibly due to late day confusion.

If you see a pattern, you can take steps to lessen or avoid some of the contributing factors.