Your client has Alzheimer’s disease and is found at night near the fire escape. Which response indicates the most accurate assessment and intervention?

Your client has Alzheimer’s disease and is found at night near the fire escape. Which response indicates the most accurate assessment and intervention?

• A. You look confused. Come to the nurses desk and talk to me.
• B. This door leads to the fire escape. Why do you want to go outside now?
• C. Something seems to be bothering you. Let's go back to your room and talk about it.
• D. This fire escape leads outside. It would be unsafe to go out there alone. May I help you find your way back to your room or the bathroom?

Answer: (D)

When a client with Alzheimer’s wanders at night toward a hazardous exit, the priority is safety achieved through calm, clear communication and gentle redirection. The best response names the danger, explains why it’s unsafe to be there, and offers to escort the person to a safer place with a concrete next step. This option explicitly identifies the fire escape as a risk and states that going out there alone would be unsafe. It then provides a practical, compassionate offer to help—guiding the client back to a familiar safe location, such as the room or the bathroom—and asks for permission to assist. That combination of hazard acknowledgment, nonthreatening language, and concrete, collaborative action is what makes it the most effective approach in this scenario. Other responses fall short because they don’t directly address the immediate safety risk or they use questions or statements that can provoke resistance or anxiety without offering a clear, safe alternative or a way to regain safety.

When a client with Alzheimer’s wanders at night toward a hazardous exit, the priority is safety achieved through calm, clear communication and gentle redirection. The best response names the danger, explains why it’s unsafe to be there, and offers to escort the person to a safer place with a concrete next step.

This option explicitly identifies the fire escape as a risk and states that going out there alone would be unsafe. It then provides a practical, compassionate offer to help—guiding the client back to a familiar safe location, such as the room or the bathroom—and asks for permission to assist. That combination of hazard acknowledgment, nonthreatening language, and concrete, collaborative action is what makes it the most effective approach in this scenario.

Other responses fall short because they don’t directly address the immediate safety risk or they use questions or statements that can provoke resistance or anxiety without offering a clear, safe alternative or a way to regain safety.