Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Introduction: Three in five Canadians with dementia will wander and become lost raising concern as to how it can be managed effectively. Hundreds of interventions, such as GPS devices have been developed to manage this issue, however no guideline exists to allow for the successful adoption of these strategies. Objectives: To develop a practice framework that will help stakeholders choose strategies to manage challenging behaviours associated with dementia-related wandering. Methods: Semi-structured individual phone interviews containing 12 questions were conducted with family and formal caregivers, persons with mild dementia, occupational therapists, police, social workers, and staff from community organizations concerned about dementia-related wandering. The purpose of the interviews was to determine what factors influenced successful adoption of wander-management strategies and to identify if any differences across stakeholders exist. Responses from these interviews were used to develop a practice framework for adoption of wander-management strategies. Results: Thirty-five participants from four Canadian provinces were recruited. Responses from the interviews highlighted 3 contextual factors that influence the successful adoption of wander-management strategies: (1) Risk associated with wandering; (2) Culture; (3) Geography. Perceived risk was conveyed as the most influential factor of strategy adoption across all stakeholder groups. The relationships of these three factors were further reflected in the framework. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify and describe factors that influence strategy adoption for dementia-related wandering. This framework can be used by caregivers, health and community service providers to enhance the safety and well-being of older adults at risk of getting lost.