Wandering and pacing are fairly common problems in elderly persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The necessity for managing these behaviors is widely recognized, and represents one of the major challenges in long-term care. The proposed study builds on the findings of our previous studies on behavioral problems in the nursing home. These studies suggested that pacing/wandering needs to be accommodated rather than reduced; it needs to be accepted by caregivers, and related problems like exit-seeking behaviors and trespassing need to be addressed.
The aim of this study is to investigate the utility of three interventions in the management of pacing and wandering in nursing home residents suffering from dementia. These are: 1) Educational training of staff as to current knowledge regarding pacing/wandering as well as dementia. 2) Provision of stimulation on the corridors of the unit; three types of visual/auditory/olfactory stimuli will be used to simulate the following environments: nature scene, interior of a home, and people oriented scene which will be compared to the units status quo. 3) Utilization of an outdoor sheltered park by residents who tend to pace/wander. Impact will be examined for residents, staff and families. The proposed research will address the following research questions in separate studies: 1. Which device or combination of devices provides the most reliable and practical method for the objective measurement of pacing/wandering? 2. Does an educational program for staff affect their perceptions of the acceptability of pacing/wandering, and their allowing residents to pace/wander at all times? 3. Which environmental stimuli are preferred by nursing home residents who pace? What is the effect of these simulated """"""""natural"""""""" environments on residents and staff? 4. Does access to an outdoor, sheltered garden area in which the pacer/wanderer walks affect the resident who tends to pace/wander? 5. Does the impact on residents of the stimulated corridor environments differ from the impact of the outdoor sheltered garden?
| Cohen-Mansfield, J; Werner, P (1999) Outdoor wandering parks for persons with dementia: a survey of characteristics and use. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 13:109-17 |
| Cohen-Mansfield, J; Werner, P (1998) The effects of an enhanced environment on nursing home residents who pace. Gerontologist 38:199-208 |
| Cohen-Mansfield, J; Werner, P; Culpepper, W J et al. (1997) Assessment of ambulatory behavior in nursing home residents who pace or wander: a comparison of four commercially available devices. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 8:359-65 |
