TOLEDO, Ohio — On the morning of Christmas Eve, a Toledo woman who struggled with dementia froze to death outside her central Toledo home.
Earline Moore, 79, was reported missing from her home by her daughter, who found her mother's body later that morning in a snow pile on Parkside Boulevard.
Representatives of ProMedica's Goerlich Center, a treatment center for people struggling with Alzheimer's and dementia, said about 60% of people struggling with those diseases will "wander" -- walking without knowing where they're going or why.
Christmas weekend was fraught with dangerously low temperatures and winds over 50 mph, possibly one of the worst times for someone with dementia to wander.
Jennifer Evans and Jessica Taube, a nurse practitioner and program director, respectively, at the Goerlich Center, said the reasons behind wandering are varied.
They could also be trying to fulfill basic needs like looking for food or a bathroom or just trying to get some fresh air.
While wandering, "they might not recognize where they are or their environment," Taube said.
There are precautions that can be taken to prevent people susceptible to wandering from leaving their homes, especially in dangerous weather.
Taube recommends avoiding busy areas that could cause confusion or disorientation and placing locks out of sight, such as "lower on doors so it's not right there for them."
When frigid weather arrives in the winter, Evans said wearing appropriate cold-weather clothes is also important.
But even if every precaution is followed to the letter, accidents with people struggling with degenerative diseases can still happen and no one is at fault.
"No one can be 100% perfect but I think we need to take extra steps and precautions to be prepared," Taube said.
In two weeks, the Goerlich Center will have free training sessions open to the public to learn more about Alzheimer's and dementia, and how to offer proper treatment and care.
The first class starts at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 at the Goerlich Center on Harroun Road in Sylvania.