LAKE STEVENS — Lois Claussen tries to remember to write a note to her son and daughter-in-law to let them know where she is going for her daily walk.
Sometimes she forgets.
Claussen, 77, is in the early stages of dementia. She lives with her son, Chuck Backman, and his wife, Laurina, in their Lake Stevens home. They want her to be safe and happy.
Claussen, a talented musician, doesn’t want to give up her freedom.
She looks forward to walking down the hill to the Centennial Trail, where she can shoot the breeze with walkers and bicyclists. Sometimes she treks across the grassy field behind the Backmans’ house to chat with the neighbors. She knows the ones who don’t mind that she drops by to say hello.
A few weeks ago, things changed. She got lost.
The Backmans said they are now thinking about enrolling Claussen in Project Lifesaver. The program would provide Claussen a bracelet with a radio transmitter that can be used to find her quickly if she ever gets lost again. The program is sponsored through the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office through Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue. It is designed for people who have Alzheimer’s disease or other medical conditions that may rob them of their ability to find their way home.
“We can find people relatively quickly with a small team of people,” sheriff’s Sgt. Danny Wikstrom said. “No one should die alone in the brush.”
Earlier this month, Laurina Backman had gone out to buy supplies for a church campout they were having on their eight acres. When she returned that evening, Claussen wasn’t in her apartment and there wasn’t a note. Laurina Backman wasn’t alarmed. She figured her mother in-law was on her daily walk or maybe a friend picked her up and Claussen had forgotten to tell her.
“I waited and waited. It just didn’t feel right,” Laurina Backman said.
She called her husband. He told her to call 911.
Chuck Backman, a mechanic for PUD, figured there was a logical answer for his mother’s tardiness. There was no need to panic. He went home anyway.
Dozens of search and rescue volunteers swarmed the Backmans’ property. Hours passed. Finally at 1 a.m. the next day, Claussen was found lying down about 200 yards away from the house. She had gotten turned around while she was looking for a misplaced shoe. She had fallen asleep in some tall grass. She didn’t understand all the fuss.
“I must have had a longer nap then I thought,” Claussen said.
Chuck Backman said his mom always has been able to fall asleep anywhere, and when she gets tired she doesn’t think twice about taking a nap.
“We were fortunate it was warm out,” Laurina Backman said.
Claussen moved into an apartment in the Backmans’ house a few months ago. Chuck Backman works nights and his wife works days. After Claussen’s husband died, she had stayed at an assisted-living center. It didn’t work out. The staff wasn’t very comfortable with Claussen going on walks, Chuck Backman said.
“We’re lucky to have mom at home,” he said.
The Backmans are part of a number of growing families caring for aging parents. There are about 650,000 unpaid caregivers in Washington, according to Jason Erskine, a spokesman for AARP, formerly American Association of Retired People. It can be a challenging and stressful undertaking, he said.
“Family caregivers really are the backbone of long-term care-giving in our state,” Erskine said. “Anything we can do as a society to make it easier for them will benefit everyone.”
The Backmans are reluctant to tell Claussen she can’t leave the house for her daily walks. It makes her happy to meet new people. It’s good exercise. They also want Claussen to be safe.
A Project Lifesaver bracelet might be the answer for now.
“A person should have their independence,” Chuck Backman said. “I don’t want to tell her she can’t leave the house. What kind of life is that?”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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