The long term objective of this project is to develop a variety of sensory stimulation products for the behavioral intervention of patients with Alzheimer's type dementia. At present, many caregivers rely on physical and chemical restraints as the primary method of intervention because of the lack of appropriate intervention products. This significantly lowers the desired quality of care and life of the sufferer. An appropriate solution must be sought as the age group most susceptible to Alzheimer's disease (65 and older) is the fastest growing segment of our society.
The specific aim of this grant application is to focus development on a product(s) that is sensory satisfying for the Alzheimer's patient that exhibits self-stimulatory wandering behavior. Sensory satisfying objects for product development will be determined through structured observations of self-stimulatory wanderers in an institutional setting. Variations of product design and mounting will be pursued in order to develop a product(s) that is not only safe and effective for patient use but one that is easy to implement and maintain by the caregiver. Such a product will have wide spread commercial application in the private care setting.
| Lucero, M; Hutchinson, S; Leger-Krall, S et al. (1993) Wandering in Alzheimer's dementia patients. Clin Nurs Res 2:160-75 |
