Mapping the maze of terms and definitions in dementia-related wandering

Abstract

Adoption of the proposed operational definition of wandering behaviour provides a platform upon which dementia care may be improved and standardized language may evolve in wandering science.

Prevalence of and Antecedents to Dementia-Related Missing Incidents in the Community

“…This study’s findings support this idea; although there was some level of temporal and/or spatial disorientation involved in the missing incidents, caregivers reported no other critical traits of wandering – such as repetitive locomotion (e.g. pacing and lapping) [11]. Thus, wandering and missing incidents may have distinctly different antecedents, timing, outcomes, and implications for intervention.…”

“…Wandering behaviors and patterns may also vary in an unfamiliar environment and by dementia severity [9,10]. The distinction between wandering and becoming lost or missing is important because there is little/no evidence to suggest that persons with dementia who ‘wander’ will be more likely than their counterparts to become lost or missing from the home or out in the community [11]. This gap in the understanding of these dementia-related behaviors makes it more difficult to predict and prevent a missing incident [2,12,13].…”

Dementia, walking outdoors and getting lost: incidence, risk factors and consequences from dementia-related police missing-person reports

“…The aetiology of getting lost is unclear, although it is likely to emanate from dementia-related changes, psycho-social, and environmental factors (Lai & Arthur, 2003). Getting lost may in part reflect spatial disorientation, reduced topographical memory, reduced visualperceptual ability, including object recognition and executive dysfunction (Algase et al, 2004; Algase, Moore, Vandeweerd, & Gavin-Dreschnack, 2007;Chiu, Algase, Liang, Liu, & Lin, 2005;McShane et al, 1998;Nagata et al, 2010;Swanberg, Tractenberg, Mohs, Thal, & Cummings, 2004;Tetewsky & Duffy, 1999). Psycho-social factors that increase walking activity may include personality responses to environmental stressors as well as continuity with pre-morbid active and outdoor lifestyles (Algase, Kupferschmid, Beel-Bates, & Beattie, 1997;Dewing, 2005;Lai & Arthur, 2003;Song & Algase, 2008).…”

Versorgungsnahe Demenzforschung ermöglichen – Fragestellungen im Deutschen Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen an der Universität Witten/Herdecke

“…Die Definitionen für herausforderndes Verhalten sind heterogen und nicht trennscharf [14]. Erklärungsansätze sind theoretisch unterschiedlich gut fundiert, simple Kategorisierungen helfen nicht weiter [37][38][39]. Notwendig ist eine genaue Beschreibung der Verhaltensweisen, ihres Auftretens, des Kontextes und der Personen, die diese Verhaltensweisen zeigen.…”