Chapter 11: Wandering
Overview:
- Defining wandering
- Persons who wander
- A model of wandering
- The importance of a wandering history
- Assessing factors that influence wandering
- Observing wandering
Description:
Nurses who work with elderly people are familiar with individuals in residential care who are described as ‘wanderers.’ Episodes of wandering that result in a person being lost or injured are a common cause of admission to residential care, and care givers around the world have identified wandering as a significant cause of stress to staff and families. This chapter provides a basic insight into this complex phenomenon.
Topics:
- Introduction
- Defining wandering
- Persons who wander
- A model of wandering
- The importance of a wandering history
- Assessing factors that influence wandering
- General neurological status
- Cognitive impairment
- Personality
- General health status
- Physical comfort
- Physical and social environmental factors
- Observing wandering
- Geographical pattern
- Staff report
- Conclusion
Speaker / Author:
Elizabeth Beattie
PhD, RN
Elizabeth is currently a member of the research faculty at the School of Nursing, and project director of the Wandering Behavior Research Team, University of Michigan (USA). She has an extensive clinical and educational background in psychogeriatric nursing gained in Australia, the UK, and the USA, and has worked with individuals with dementia, their families, and caregivers since 1982.
Elizabeth’s research focus is wandering behaviour related to dementia, and her current research is on the impact of wandering on functional abilities, such as eating, in nursing‐home residents.
|
Resources 
