World News

Phantom bus-stop fools Alzheimer's patients

A German care home in Düsseldorf has come up with a fine example of forward thinking when they erected a fake bus stop to stop Alzheimer's patients from wandering off.

The thinking behind it is that patients who feel the urge to go home recognise the bus stop and will go and stand next to it, hoping the bus will come and take them back home. When nursing staff notice a number of old duffers gathering around the bus stop they go out and invite them in for a cup of tea.

"We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee," said Richard Neureither, director of the home. "Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave."

The idea has proved so successful that it has now been adopted by several other homes across Germany. Now if only we can keep the rest of the mentally ill from wandering off and trying to blow themselves up.

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