Wandering prevention

Wandering of dementia patients “is a complex challenge,” Bettye Rose Connell, a research scientist at the Atlanta VA Medical Center told Nursing Homes magazine. “There’s no one size fits all solution for it.”
Nursing homes rely on alarms and electromagnetic door locking systems and design their environments with open layouts to prevent wandering, but staff practices are another important strategy that can be used.

Connell says staff can plan activities that redirect residents away from the areas around the exit doors. “It’s good to stage activities away from exits that hold residents’ attention – such as the smell of baking bread or the sound of period music,” she says. “The person who is wandering might follow her nose to the fragrant smell of something baking in the oven, or she might follow her ears to the sounds of swing music wafting down the hall.”“Wandering is not something you can simply foist off on technology and facility design,” she says. “Staff and programming play important roles in wandering prevent