Managing Nighttime Wandering and Sleep Changes in Families with Dementia and Alzheimer’s

When one family started dealing with nighttime wandering, they tried everything. Door alarms that woke the whole house. Motion sensors that triggered constantly. Baby monitors that missed the subtle signs before their loved one got out of bed.

Then they discovered the KeepWell app, smartphone monitoring designed specifically for dementia and Alzheimer’s care challenges. KeepWell works with the smartphone you already have, sets up in minutes, and runs automatically once configured.

Now they catch movement patterns early, sleep better themselves, and have data to share with caregivers.

Customized for Individual Needs

Dementia care rarely falls on one person. Siblings might share responsibilities, family members cover different nights, and home health aides help throughout the week. Every person with dementia has different patterns. One person might get agitated around 2 AM but settle back down. Another might have tremors that look alarming but are actually routine for them. You can adjust the app’s sensitivity so it alerts for concerning movements but ignores the tremors you know are normal. 

Dementia and Alzheimer’s change sleep in ways that are hard to track. Someone might have restless periods for weeks, then suddenly start getting up multiple times per night. Traditional monitors only catch the obvious moments – when they’re already up and moving.

KeepWell detects the subtle changes first. Shifting positions, irregular breathing, small movements that signal restlessness before it becomes wandering. This early detection gives families time to respond calmly instead of reacting to emergencies.

You can set detection zones to monitor just a specific area of the room to monitor subtle movements, or expand to catch activities such as attempts to get out of bed or a person leaving the room. 

Tracking Patterns Over Time

Sleep changes in dementia happen gradually, making them hard to notice day by day. But patterns emerge over weeks and months that caregivers need to see.

The app tracks everything automatically. How often does restlessness happen? What time of night? How long do episodes last? This data helps caregivers adjust routines, identify triggers, or recommend changes in daily care.

Sharing Information That Matters

Caregiver visits become more productive when you have real data instead of vague reports. Instead of saying “they seem more restless lately,” you can show exactly when changes started, how frequently they occur, and what they look like.

The recordings capture context that’s impossible to describe. Caregivers can see the difference between normal position changes and concerning agitation, helping them make better care decisions.

Privacy Without Compromise

Many families worry about constant recording, especially as privacy becomes more important to people with dementia. KeepWell stores everything locally on your device by default. You control what’s recorded, what’s kept, and what’s shared.

The system only records when movement is detected, and you can choose monitoring-only mode for alerts without any video storage.

Getting Started Simply

The hardest part about managing dementia and Alzheimer’s care is adding complicated systems to an already overwhelming situation. Start with basic movement detection during sleep hours. Adjust sensitivity based on what you learn. Add multiple caregivers as needed. The system grows with your family’s changing needs without requiring new equipment or complicated installations.