Evaluation of antecedent behaviors of dementia-related wandering in community and facility settings.

Aim: To understand antecedent behaviors to critical wandering among persons living with dementia in or outside of a facility. Materials & methods: Caregivers were asked to write down the type and number of antecedent behaviors they observed in persons with dementia that were about to critically wander for 2-4 weeks. Observations were made through a developed questionnaire. Results: Six antecedent behaviors were observed: stating intent to leave, door lingering/tampering, preparing to go outside, packing up belongings, calling to be picked up and draw to outside stimuli. Conclusion: Information from this study can be used in the education of wander-management strategy adoption among caregivers of persons with dementia at risk of getting lost.