Abstracts

Wandering is aimless and repetitive locomotion that may expose persons\udwith dementia (PWD) to elopement, getting lost and death. This\udstudy is an Australian replication of a US study. Cross-disciplinary consensus-\udbased analysis was applied to data from five focus groups (N\ud=47: cognitively intact LTC residents (5), carers of PWD (11), home\udcare workers (13) allied health professionals and health-focused engineers (7) and RNs (11). Groups received briefing about wandering monitoring\udand elopement management systems. Consistent with US attitudes,\udparticipants in all groups agreed on what a wandering technology\udshould do, how it should do it, and necessary technical specifications.\udWithin each group participants raised the need for a continuum of care\udfor PWD and the imperative for early recognition of potentially dangerous\udwandering and getting lost when they occur. Global Positioning\udSystem elopement management was the preferred option. Interestingly,\udthe prospective value of GPS to recover a lost or eloped wanderer far\udoutweighed privacy concerns, as in the US. A pervasive theme was that\udtechnologies need to augment, but cannot replace, attentive, compassionate\udcaregiver presence. A significant theme raised only by Australian\udcarers of PWD was the potential for development of implantable GPS\udtechnologies and the need for public debate about attendant ethical issues.\udGiven that 60% or more of over 200,000 Australians and 4.5 million\udAmericans with dementia will develop wandering, there is a pressing\udneed to develop effective locator systems that may delay institutionalization,\udhelp allay carer concern and enhance PWD safety