Hiding, Losing and Rummaging: When Someone with Dementia Hides Things

Many people with dementia hide wallets, rummage through drawers or accuse others of stealing; learn why it happens, how to respond without arguing, and simple ways to protect important items and keep the home safe.

By Jim Pavlish, Editor · Last updated: October 24, 2026 · Editorial policy

"Someone took my purse." "Where did all the spoons go?" Hiding things, losing them, and rummaging through drawers and closets are some of the most common, and most frustrating, behaviors in dementia. They're rarely deliberate. Understanding what's behind them makes them easier to handle calmly.

Why it happens

• Feeling a need to keep things safe. As the world becomes confusing, a person may hide valuables to protect them, then forget where.
• Memory loss. Putting something down and not remembering where is a core symptom. When it can't be found, the brain fills the gap with an explanation, often "someone stole it."
• Searching for something, or someone. Rummaging can be a search for an item, a past routine, or a feeling of being useful, like sorting the "paperwork" they once handled at work.
• Boredom or restlessness. Going through drawers gives the hands something to do.
• Loss of judgment. The person may not recognize what's valuable, so they throw away bills or keep old wrappers.
• Paranoia or delusions. In some people, especially later on or in Lewy Body Dementia, accusations of theft are part of firmly held false beliefs (see Hallucinations and Delusions).

How to respond in the moment

• Don't argue or take it personally. Being accused of stealing hurts, but it comes from the disease. Insisting "No one took it" rarely works.
• Acknowledge the feeling: "That purse is important to you. Let's look for it together."
• Help search without fuss. Often the item turns up quickly in a familiar hiding spot.
• Keep spares. A backup set of glasses, keys, a second purse with a few dollars in it, or duplicate remote controls can end a crisis in seconds.
• Redirect once things settle: a snack, a walk, a favorite song.
• See also What Not to Say to Someone with Dementia (and What to Say Instead) for phrases that tend to escalate these moments.

Learn the hiding places

Most people use the same few spots again and again: under the mattress, in shoes, coat pockets, the freezer, laundry baskets, the bottom of the wastebasket, flowerpots, and inside pillowcases. Check these first, and look inside wastebaskets before emptying them, since important papers, hearing aids, dentures and jewelry often end up there.

Protect what matters

• Lock away or remove valuables: jewelry, cash, checkbooks, credit cards, important documents. Store originals in a safe place outside the home or a locked drawer.
• Leave a small amount of cash or an old wallet the person can carry, if having money matters to them.
• Redirect mail for bills and financial statements to a trusted person, and consider automatic bill payments (see Financial Planning and Paying for Care).
• Make copies of keys, IDs, and insurance cards.
• Label and register hearing aids and glasses if possible; some can be tracked or engraved.
• Watch for real exploitation. Most "theft" accusations are confusion, but people with dementia are also targets for scams and, sadly, sometimes for theft by people they trust. If money or items keep truly disappearing, look into it (see Protecting Against Scams).

Give rummaging a safe outlet

Rather than stopping it, give it somewhere to go:

• A rummage drawer or box filled with safe, interesting things: old letters and greeting cards, fabric scraps, keys on a ring (not real ones), coins, costume jewelry, socks to pair, photos, tools for a former hobby.
• Purposeful jobs: folding towels, sorting buttons by color, matching socks, filing old (shredded or harmless) papers.
• Regular activity to reduce boredom (see Activities for People with Dementia and Staying Active and Engaged).

Safety-proof the home

Rummaging can turn up dangerous items. Lock up medicines, cleaning products, sharp knives, firearms, power tools and car keys. Remove spoiled food from the refrigerator often, since some people hide food. Consider child-safety latches on cabinets with hazards (see Home Safety).

When to talk to the doctor

Tell the person's doctor if suspicion or accusations are new and sudden, intense, or leading to aggression or fear, or if the person seems to see or hear things that aren't there. A sudden change may have a treatable cause such as an infection or a medicine side effect (see Delirium vs. Dementia). Non-drug approaches are tried first for most behavior changes (see Treating Behavioral Symptoms).

This article is general information, not medical advice. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Sources

1. Alzheimer's Association: Suspicions and Delusions
2. Alzheimer's Association: Memory Loss and Confusion
3. Family Caregiver Alliance: Caregiver's Guide to Understanding Dementia Behaviors
4. National Institute on Aging: Alzheimer's Caregiving: Managing Personality and Behavior Changes

Not medical advice. This article is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual. Talk with a doctor about your situation.

Related articles

• Hallucinations and Delusions
• Personality and Mood Changes
• Managing Challenging Behaviors
• Home Safety
• What Not to Say to Someone with Dementia (and What to Say Instead)