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Empirical Derivation and Validation of a Wandering Typology
Author(s) -
Algase Donna L.,
Antonakos Cathy,
Beattie Elizabeth R. A.,
BeelBates Cynthia A.,
Yao Lan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02491.x
Subject(s) - medicine , typology , dementia , subclinical infection , ambulatory , duration (music) , rating scale , descriptive statistics , gerontology , audiology , statistics , disease , psychology , surgery , developmental psychology , art , archaeology , literature , mathematics , history
OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a wandering typology. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional, correlational descriptive design. SETTING:: Twenty‐two nursing homes and six assisted living facilities. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty‐two residents with dementia who spoke English, met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition , criteria for dementia, scored less than 24 on the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), were ambulatory (with or without assistive device), and maintained a stable regime of psychotropic medications were studied. MEASUREMENTS: Data on wandering were collected using direct observations, plotted serially according to rate and duration to yield 21 parameters, and reduced through factor analysis to four components: high rate, high duration, low to moderate rate and duration, and time of day. Other measures included the MMSE, Minimum Data Set 2.0 mobility items, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale—Geriatric, and tympanic body temperature readings. RESULTS: Three groups of wanderers were identified through cluster analysis: classic, moderate, and subclinical. MMSE, mobility, and cardiac and upper and lower gastrointestinal problems differed between groups of wanderers and in comparison with nonwanderers. CONCLUSION: Results have implications for improving identification of wanderers and treatment of possible contributing factors.