Man in a care home

‘I want to go home’ - What to say to someone with dementia in care

Here are some ways family members and primary carers can approach the difficult question, 'What do I say to someone with dementia in residential care who wants to go home?'

It's not uncommon for a person with dementia to say they want to go home. This may be caused by time-shifting or general confusion, and can be distressing for everyone. 

Below are a few considerations on what to say to someone in this situation who wants to go home. 

5 things to remember when someone with dementia is asking to go home

1. Avoid arguing about whether they are already ‘home'

For a person with dementia, the term 'home' may describe something more than the place they currently live. Often 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.  
 
It’s usually best not to try to reason or disagree with the person about where their home is.

If they don't recognise their environment as 'home' at that moment, then for that moment, it isn't home.

Try to understand and acknowledge the feelings behind the wish to go home. Find out where 'home' is for them - it might not be the last place they lived. It could be where they lived before moving recently or it could be somewhere from their distant past. 

Often people with dementia describe 'home' as a pleasant, peaceful or idyllic place where they were happy. They could be encouraged to talk about why they were happy there. This can give an idea as to what they might need to feel better.

2. Reassure them of their safety

The desire to go home is probably the same desire anyone would have if we found ourselves in an unfamiliar place. 

Reassure the person verbally, and possibly with arm touches or handholding if this feels appropriate. Let the person know that they are safe. 

It may help to provide reassurance that the person is still cared about. They may be living somewhere different from where they lived before, and need to know they’re cared for.

3. Try diverting the conversation

Keep a photograph album handy. This could be a physical book or photos on a tablet or smartphone.  Sometimes looking at pictures from the past and being given the chance to reminisce will ease the person’s feelings of anxiety. 

It might be best to avoid asking questions about the pictures or the past, instead trying to make comments: 'That looks like Uncle Fred. Granny told me about the time he....' 

Alternatively, you could try shifting the person's focus from home to something else - such as food, music, or other activities, such as going for a walk. 

4. Establish whether or not they are feeling unhappy or lonely

A person with dementia may want to 'go home' because of feelings of anxiety, insecurity, depression or fear.

Our dementia advisers are here for you.

Think about whether the person with dementia is happy or unhappy when they mention going home. If they are unhappy, it may be possible to discover why. If they cannot tell you why, perhaps a member of the staff or another resident knows why. 

Like anyone, someone with dementia may act out of character to the people closest to them as a result of a bad mood or bad day. 

Does the person with dementia keep talking about going home when people are not visiting them in the care home? Does he or she seem to have settled otherwise? Ask the staff in the home as they may know.

5. Keep a log of when they are asking to go home

Certain times of the day might be worse than others. What seems to be the common denominator about these times? Is it near meal times (and would a snack perhaps help)? Is it during times when the environment is noisier than usual? Is it later in the day and possibly due to ‘sundowning’?

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

This article was first published in 2018 and most recently updated in January 2024.

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604 comments

I don’t live with my parents, my mother will call me and put my father on and he keeps going on about another home. I tell him the other home is be renovated to make it nice for him. I told my mother to hide the car keys and just had a chat with him and lied and said I took them home by mistake and will bring them back the next time I’m there. I’m at a loss, I’m afraid he is going to wonder off! My father is 90 and my mom is 85 and she is really getting very frazzled every time he starts this. I don’t know where to turn. I called a doctor and had video call since he was not taking patients at the moment due to covid -19. He made a prescription for two medications and recommended vitamins as well. Now I’m not sure he is going to take them. I’m so frazzled myself.

Hello Michael,
We're sorry to hear this - it sounds like a really difficult time for you and your parents.
If you are based in the UK, we recommend speaking with one of our dementia advisers to discuss the situation. They will be best placed to provide you with advice and support. Please call our Dementia Connect support line on 0333 150 3456. (More information on opening times: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/dementia-connect-support-line)
If you're based in the US, please contact the Alzheimer's Association helpline: https://alz.org/help-support/resources/helpline Or if you're based in Canada, please contact the Alzheimer's Society of Canada helpline: https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/ContactUs
Wishing you all the best, Michael.
-
Alzheimer's Society blog team

What do you say when the person is in their own home but they don’t recognize it and keep insisting they want to go home?

When mum says she wants to go home,
I tell her this is home in the nursing home,
Mum goes this is not home, at 94,
Not matter how much I say it ,everyone has different levels of dementia so don’t think for one second my mum I knows
Where she is , I
I have worked in nursing homes for over
10 years ,
Yes we all get old , but you need to respect what someone says ,
I tell mum there is no one at home now
And you need help to get tea and dressed
It helps mum understand , as for saying
You can go home tomorrow ,
I think is so dishonest, and cruel
I go see mum everyday , and I love her so much , the time I spend with mum is so special,
I would not be on earth only for her and Dad of course , love ya mum

It is not cruel to tell them you are going home tomorrow. My mother would scream take me home. If I explain things, she does not understand. When I say I am taking you home tomorrow she would calm down. Then the next day, she would forget. That’s dementia

My mother lives in the same apartment she has lived in for over 15 years yet she constantly wants "to go home." So if you have a parent in a facility wanting to go home, you don't have to feel guilty. It's really not a matter of where they are, it is, I think, a feeling of wanting everything to feel familiar.

Thank you , brenda

My mother thinks she still has 2 little boys. She wants to look for them and call the police to look for them. She wants me to drive her around in the neighborhood to look for her children. She wants me to go to the police station to report her children missing. I just half to tell her no we can’t go to the police station. This one is difficult. She has these episodes about 3 to 4 times per week. She lives with me.

You might need to alert the police dispatch about the situation if you think she could end up calling 911. My Auntie with Alzheimer's disease called 911 one day while I had a fill-in sitter here. She had them come out because she thought the house was vibrating. The sitter said she "allowed" Aunty to call to soothe her agitation. Needless to say, I never had this sitter "help" again. She could have cost someone their life by tying up emergency workers with this BS.

The same thing happens to my mom. It was a while before i realized the kids she is looking for are kids she used to bus to school..or me and my siblings when we were young. Her mind goes back in time and gets stuck there. So i learned to tell her the kids are with their parents, with a babysitter, or at school etc. Surprisingly is works.

My husband often says he wants to go home. We are, living together in the same house we have been in for over twenty years.. This mostly happens late afternoon or evening, have even had to drive around for a while and then bring him home. Most nights he asks where he can sleep we still share a bedroom and bed. I am finding this very difficult and it is getting worse.

My dad is the same way. He was recently diagnosed with dementia and he is only 68. He is home, but has episodes almost everyday asking for his home and wanting to go home. Becomes agitated and aggressive towards my mom. I don’t know how we can continue caring for him at home like this. He’s not incontinent, so I doubt nursing homes would take him.

My mom says she has to go home at night before bed. People are waiting for her there. I ask her to spend the night with me and go in the morning. Some nights she asks if she can stay over as it’s cold outside and she’s tired. I “lend” her some pajamas. She needs to decide to stay to feel comfortable. Lately her obsession is going to church. It’s a similar frustrating experience since we can’t go. Now I read a Bible passage and we say the Lord’s Prayer. Watching a service does not end the desire to go for her. She does not understand Covid closing things. As much as possible I reassure her that we will the next day. She accepts that. My goal is to keep her calm and secure and comfortable. If I get angry it hurts her so I have to be extremely patient.

My mother was diagnosed with ALS in May 2016. Her doctor put her on riluzole, letting her know there was no cure but the medication might provide her a few more months of delayed symptoms. ALS progresses at different rates and affects different body parts first. My mother, being 73 at that time, fell into a category of what they call "fast progression" (older female). Her arms weakened first, then her hands, her mouth, and throat, and finally her lungs. Throughout her two-and-a-half-year ordeal, she was able to walk with assistance nothing was really working to help her condition.I took her off the riluzole (without the doctor’s knowledge) and started her on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis herbal formula i ordered from Health Herbal Clinic(dr.peter'sherbalhome) , her symptoms totally declined over a 5 weeks use of the ALS disease natural herbal remedy. She's now almost 75 and doing very well, the disease is totally reversed!! with the spiritual help of dr peter wise ,contact peterwiseherbalcenter today  on whatsapp via 2349059610643  for ALS , Parkinson , MND and other related diseases . 

My mother was diagnosed with ALS in May 2016. Her doctor put her on riluzole, letting her know there was no cure but the medication might provide her a few more months of delayed symptoms. ALS progresses at different rates and affects different body parts first. My mother, being 73 at that time, fell into a category of what they call "fast progression" (older female). Her arms weakened first, then her hands, her mouth, and throat, and finally her lungs. Throughout her two-and-a-half-year ordeal, she was able to walk with assistance nothing was really working to help her condition.I took her off the riluzole (without the doctor’s knowledge) and started her on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis herbal formula i ordered from Health Herbal Clinic(dr.peter'sherbalhome) , her symptoms totally declined over a 5 weeks use of the ALS disease natural herbal remedy. She's now almost 75 and doing very well, the disease is totally reversed!! with the spiritual help of dr peter wise ,contact peterwiseherbalcenter today  on whatsapp via +2349059610643  mail him via    peterwiseherbalcenter@ gmail. com for ALS , Parkinson , MND and other related diseases . 

My recurring mantra for my Mother (88) is the following: 1) You are safe here. 2) The staff here is wonderful. 3) You are okay. I say it when I first see her. I work all three into wherever the conversation goes. And I say them again before I leave. The repetition seems to give her a sense of normalcy...that all is alright. (Of course, when angry Mother shows up, although I still repeat the mantra, its efficacy is doubtful! That is said with somewhat of a smile. We can only do our best with all the love we have.)

Don't forget to check whether the Dementia sufferer is in pain/discomfort and needs analgesia. The illness can cause people to express physical discomfort in behavioural and emotional ways (e.g: "I want to go home" or angry statements and behaviour).

I don’t no weather my mum his giving up she as demtia she’s not eating only bits she can’t walk anymore and she as to wear a pad now she had a chest infection and she’s gone down hill since then

My mom is very angry and calls me names when I go there. It's very distressing for me so I don't stay very long

My mom was placed in assisted living 7 months ago because she could no longer live independently. She needs 24/7 care. She has never really adjusted to it. The past 2 months have been exceptionally hard. She wants to go home, she says she doesnt know what hit her, she asks why this has happened to her, she says she's in prison, she says she wants to get out of here, she wants a lawyer, the staff has brainwashed me, she can't go on like this much longer, she's bored. No matter what I say or do, she can't be consoled. She's depressed, agitated, despondent, angry. I can't fix it, I try not to feel guilty but I do, it makes me sad to see her suffering and not understanding what's happened. I visit about every 3 days and stay about an hour. I call her, too. I never know if I'm visiting too much or not enough. She's always sad when I leave and she wants to come home with me. We had her with us for 3 weeks initially and it is a 24/7 job that i don't think I'm trained to handle. Medications, incontinence, mood swings, bathing, dressing, etc. She gets great care where she is and I truly know she is safe.

Hi Kathy,
I’m in pretty much the same situation with my mom. And now, after 70+ days in lockdown her dementia seems worse. How is your mother doing now? This is very hard on us all!!

When my aunt inquired about going home, I simply say OK we will go as soon as our taxi arrives. Please have a seat or we will walk to the door and look for the taxi. Sometimes I will walk her from the memory care facility to the assisted living building, grab a snack out of the vending machine and return to the memory care building.

I have my best friend in CCC ,65 after
Post-Polio,after stroke,cardiac arrest,
Dementia, and I'm take him back HIS
Home soon.I'm the only family He got.
same time one best friend is better than whole family. I will try my best .