Friday Bummer: Really Long Headways at Fake Bus Stop Keep Alzheimer's Patients From Disappearing

"The idea was first tried at Benrath Senior Centre in Düsseldorf, which pitched an exact replica of a standard stop outside, with one small difference: buses do not use it."

"The centre had been forced to rely on police to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent homes and families."

"The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place."

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

Thanks to Cate Miller