Why people with dementia wander – and how families can keep them safe
- Written by Kevin Kristian, PhD student in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University

In June 2025, an elderly woman with dementia went missing in a forested area in Natuna, Indonesia, while tending to her plants. Search and rescue (SAR) teams were deployed to locate her.
Such incidents are common among people living with dementia. Often described as ‘exit-seeking’ or ‘wandering’, this occurs because...




