Wandering in a dementia special care unit: behavioral aspects and the risk of falling.
BACKGROUND
Wandering is a common phenomenon among patients with dementia. While traditionally considered to be a behavioral problem, it also includes fundamental aspects of motor performance (e.g., gait and falls).


OBJECTIVE
To examine the difference in motor function and behavioral symptoms between patients with severe dementia who wander and those who do not.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective study reviewing the medical records of 72 patients with severe dementia, all residents of a dementia special care unit. Motor and behavioral aspects were compared between "wanderers" and "non-wanderers."


RESULTS
No difference was found in motor performance including the occurrence of falls between the wanderers and non-wanderers. A significant difference was found in aggressiveness and sleep disturbances, which were more frequent among the wanderers. There was no preference to wandering at a certain period of the day among the patients with sleep disturbances who wander.


CONCLUSIONS
In a protected environment wandering is not a risk factor for falls. Sleep disturbances and wandering co-occur, but there is no circumstantial association between the two symptoms.
Dementia Special Care Unit, Shoham Geriatric Medical Center, Pardes Hanna, Israel. Doronm@Shoham.health.gov.il
Doron
D
Merims
Havazelet
H
Nahari
Giora
G
Ben-Ari
Samira
S
Jamal
Carola
C
Vigder
Joshua
J
Ben-Israel
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D055816:Wandering Behavior / Q000523:psychology*