title: Missing incidents in community-dwelling people with dementia: understanding how these dangerous events differ from dementia-related ‘wandering’ is critical to assessment, intervention, and prevention.
abstract: At every stage of dementia, people with the condition are at risk for both missing incidents, in which they are unattended and unable to navigate a safe return to their caregiver, and "wandering," a term often used to describe repetitive locomotion with patterns such as lapping or pacing. By understanding the differences between these two phenomena, nurses can teach caregivers how to anticipate and prevent missing incidents, which are not necessarily related to wandering. The authors differentiate missing incidents from wandering, describe personal characteristics that may influence the outcomes in missing incidents, and suggest strategies for preventing and responding to missing incidents.
authors.affiliation: University of South Florida USF, College of Nursing, Tampa, USA. mrowe1@health.usf.edu
authors.forename: Meredeth A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Greenblum
authors.forename: Rita F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: DʼAoust
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D057233:Radio Frequency Identification Device; D017751:Safety Management; D014481:United States; D055816:Wandering Behavior