Lost keys. We're on our 4th set in 6 months. Any suggestions?

Take the keys and have a dozen sets made or budget 35.00 monthly for replacement.

Seriously, keys hanging on your chest can be uncomfortable. I would find her a leather key holder. This is worn around the neck and the ringed keys go inside a flap inside the leather. Much easier to wear.

You can also put her name on the back and bling up the front to make it like a piece of jewelry, maybe that would deter her.

You say your mother has dementia.....and is losing her keys continuously. Is she in Memory Care AL? If so, she shouldn't even need keys....the CG should be able to let her into her apartment.

These lost keys are all in her apartment somewhere.....go look for them. My mother claimed everything was stolen until I'd go into her place and find it.

If need be and if possible, make copies of the keys as suggested.

The AL needs to make accommodations for residents with dementia, that's my opinion on the matter. It's only natural to run into this situation over and OVER again for admin, so their remedy is to keep charging $35 a pop? My mom's AL and MC gave me, the POA a set of keys also to have available. Do you get an extra set?

Best of luck

Do you live local to her and can easily visit her? Then take her existing set and go get multiple copies made at HomeDepot or any hardware store.

Will the facility allow her to keep a key lock box on her door? If so then the next time she loses them you can talk her through opening the box and getting the spare. Then walk her through dropping the key into a jar labeled SPARE KEY. You can retrieve the key and replace it in the box at next time you visit.

If you aren't local to her, then see if you can supply the facility with privately made keys, if they allow this, or have the admin leave a secret spare resting above her doorframe where it can't be seen. I hope you can find a solution that works!

Put her in a nursing home. Obviously she is having cognitive decline and is unable to live independently in assisted living.

With a diagnosis of dementia she should be in Memory Care not AL.
the main problem I find with AL is that she can leave the building, leave the property and wander off.
If moving is not an option leaving the door unlocked is an option so there would be no need for keys. You would have to remove all valuables and if she is taking her own medication the medication should then be placed in a locked cabinet.

To be honest, I do not remember my Mom having keys. I did. She spent most of her time in the common area till after dinner so the aides must have let her into her room. She really had no idea where her room was anyway. Her AL mixed the residents.

I don't know where you're having your keys made, but do you HAVE to have the facility make the replacements? Depending on the type of key, $35 sounds like a lot. You can go to Walmart (or Lowe's perhaps) and get different types of keys made for a much cheaper price. If they can't dup your mother's type of key, I'd seek out local locksmiths and see what they charge. Maybe you could get a "deal" if you get 3 sets of each key you need. Re: lockboxes. Some facilities don't allow these; it depends on the type of door to the apartment. I can't get a lockbox where I live for this reason. Good luck!

Several times staff found my mom's keys at AL. They also did give her a new key. I don't think they charged. She was only one locking her apt door. If I were you, I would take your mom's key. It will be the first in a long line of confiscations to come.
It seems keys would be hard for seniors to keep track of. Seems AL is using this as an income stream. Lol. When moved to acute AL there was no key. MC has no keys.
Does she hide things? Look in her shoes, inside socks, in blankets. Hard to believe they are just gone. Hard to believe staff has never found.

Go get your own sets made cheaper that way. Must residents in memory care dont have there own keys . Kind of sounds that were she may beheading in the future.

On Amazon they have a device called Tile, and they are little squares that you attached to anything that you might find that might go missing. We have them on my MIL's purse & keys! They work!:) good luck

Many have suggested having the key duplicated on your own. There are some keys that are non-duplicable for security reasons. Not sure what prevents it, maybe something in the design. I just hope if they show up you can get refunds.

My mom locks her door religiously so when I took her keys to “get them fixed” I told her to not lock herself out. After a week, she didn’t ask about the keys and locks the door when she is inside. The staff all can get in because they have keys. I was planning to give her a key that didn’t work so I could take her key but this plan to get her key fixed worked.

Make your keys outside in any hardware store, including Home Depot for a few bucks each. Or buy a couple of "Tiles" or key trackers on Amazon.

As others have mentioned - if it is just the keys - a Tile or other key tracking option is one option. We got one for my college aged daughter because what is on a college kid's key lanyard can add up to a small fortune (apartment key and room key $300, car key fob to replace if no extra (she bought a used car with no second set) $300). The only drawback is that you have to track it on your phone AND FIND the set each time they go missing. So if they are just misplaced somewhere obvious - no big deal. If she's leaving them in a bathroom down the hall or in your car or in a facility van no problem. But if they left the facility and she dropped them somewhere on an outing in the grass, those are basically GPS locators within a certain vicinity so you can be looking in a rather large radius. And its likely that the person that will be hunting for those keys every time they go missing is you.

So in this case, I would probably go the route of the multitude of replacement keys if that is an option.

And then of course the real question is - is the only problem the keys? Or is that just a symptom of a bigger issue?

Miss KB, there are locator devices for luggage and car keys that you can probably get on Amazon. You put one on your mom's key, you carry the other (some are even made to work with a smartphone). When you are told the key is lost, you activate the find key... and the locator 9n the other key beeps. My daughter has these on her car keys. I think she paid about $70 for it.

Frankly I use tiles for everything. Keys, (home and cat) wallet,phone, iPad, hearing aide case, and Ben TV remote. They are a godsend.

My dad was in AL and would lose his keys and his wallet. I bought the Tiles from Amazon. There's one that would fit discreetly in his wallet. I had to track both numerous times so the tiles were worth every penny! With his dementia he had a tendency to blame his caregivers or staff so this saved a lot of grief!

FYI...some mentioned Memory Care. In my dad's case they said they wouldn't recommend it because he was too "active" and mobile and he would disrupt the other residents in MC.

I’m not completely familiar with Tiles but wonder if the fact that she takes them individually OFF the lanyard holder makes that device impossible to use . Therefore she needs something that prevents her from removing the keys - like perhaps having the key ring that holds them on to the lanyard melded together so she can’t just twirl them off -and also hopefully that affixed in a way that she can’t remove the entire key ring. As a backup I’d also make duplicates - nowadays you do that yourself in many places so the instructions not to copy I think are moot.

Tracking devices! Check this informative website: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-key-finders,review-2657.html

Also, can't she leave a key with the apartment manager?

I assume there is a split ring that she takes them off of. Just have someone solder that ring closed.

Can you super glue or use 6000E glue (takes 24hours to cure) or solder the key ring?
Does she wear pants with a belt or belt loops?
How about a retractable key chain that clips to the belt or belt loops?
A retractable id badge that clips to the shirt?
As said in previous posts - keys can be made at supermarket kiosks, HD or Lowes for less.
Hugs

My Mom had the same issue and we weren’t able to duplicate keys because they were protected. Tiles saved us so many times. Would highly recommend
https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/products?utm_campaign=13870698657&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=592930507914&utm_term=tiles-b&adgroup=130386753011&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrZ2imYrH-AIVtIFaBR0ncQbIEAAYASAAEgKkU_D_BwE