There are 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older living with dementia, and the risk is particularly high among the Indigenous population. CBS News Texas is looking into what's being done to protect those with the disease this Native American Heritage Month. 

It's an alarming statistic. One in three Native American elders may develop Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Megan Dicken, with the International Association for Indigenous Aging, worked with search and rescue experts to write a 117-page wandering toolkit for those living with dementia and other brain disorders.

"Native Americans have the highest rates of Alzheimer's and dementia in the country. A lot of that has to do with comorbidities that we experience, because Natives also have the highest rates of health disparities, such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure," Dicken said. 

Dicken said certain things can make people prone to wandering. 

"It could be because they think that they have to go to work even though they're retired, so they get ready, and they walk out of the house because they have to go to work in their mind," Dicken said. "It's confusing to them because it's not their home. They are uncomfortable, they're confused, so they're trying to go back to their home."

The toolkit includes tips for caretakers and applies to anyone with dementia. 

"People with dementia can get disoriented, so it can be helpful to have signs in the house like with an arrow pointing this way, the bathroom this way, the kitchen that way," Dicken said.

Some other tips include putting safety covers over doorknobs, placing a black rug in front of the door, putting the latch higher on a door, and identifying the time of day someone is prone to wander. 

The wandering toolkit has a workbook that helps families come up with a plan in case their loved one wanders away.

"Having that step-by-step guide with the checklist in the beginning, talking about each step, and then you have a workbook you can fill in in the worksheet," Dicken said.

The number of American Indians 65 years or older who are living with dementia is expected to increase four times by 2060, which is due in part to the aging population.

Survival rates for wandering elders decrease dramatically after 24 hours and make it even more urgent to find them quickly.

You can read the full wandering toolkit by clicking here.