Help for dementia bus stop where no bus stops

Sham bus stop in the clinic is supposed to help people with dementia

Although most dementia patients in Germany are cared for at home by relatives, some patients are also cared for in nursing homes or hospitals. Sham bus stops have been set up in some of these facilities to help keep demented persons from running away. There is also criticism of this measure.

Most of the dementia patients are cared for at home

According to experts, more than 1.5 million people in Germany have dementia, most of whom have Alzheimer's disease. According to the German Alzheimer's Association (DAlzG), around 80 percent of all dementia patients in Germany are cared for and accompanied by their relatives. A few are also cared for in special villages for people with dementia. And in nursing homes and hospitals, there are often dementia stations that are tailored to the specific needs of patients. Some of the demented people sometimes want to get away from there. Sham bus stops should stop them.

By using dummy bus stops that have no bus at all, patients with dementia should be discouraged from running away from a care facility or clinic. There is also criticism of the concept. (Image: Ocskay Bence / fotolia.com)

Affected people often want to return to their familiar surroundings

For years, it has been shown that the number of people with dementia continues to rise.

The number of people with dementia also increases at Klinikum Osnabrück.

Especially at the beginning, just at the first contact in the emergency room, many seniors try to return to the familiar environment of their home, the clinic reports in a message.

It has been reported that caring for patients with a lingering and walking tendency is a growing challenge for workers at the emergency room.

In order to get a better grip on the problem, together with Stadtwerke Osnabrück in the corridor of the emergency room, a bus stop with a timetable and a picture of the town was erected, which should help "Weglaufers" stay in the emergency room.

Retrieve memories stored in the long-term memory

"We wanted a solution that would provide as little freedom-limiting and autonomy as possible," Dr. Mathias Denter, medical director of the emergency department center of the Hospital Osnabrück.

"Dementia research helped us to do that. People with dementia can still easily recall memories stored in long-term memory. "

Therefore, life history "anchor" for the care of the elderly are so important. The frequently visited bus stop "Neumarkt" in Osnabrück with timetable and picture is such an anchor.

The dummy bus stop was provided along with a picture of the old Neumarkt from the 70s and 80s. This was familiar to the affected patients.

The message is loud: Here you can sit down and wait for the bus. There is no need to run away, because the bus is coming soon.

Not all are convinced of the concept

However, there is also criticism of the concept of the use of dummy bus stops in the care of demented patients.

For example, the Medical Service of the Central Association of Health Insurance Funds states in the policy statement "Care and Support of People with Dementia in Inpatient Facilities" that patients are more nervous than calm when they wait in vain for the bus.

In addition, demented persons would not be taken seriously in their illness.

Last but not least, experts criticize the fact that the facilities that have installed the wrong stops functionalize the distorted reality of the sick in order to bring less to them rather than to the nurses. (Ad)