Abstract
This study investigated various factors relatied to wandering behavior of Korean elders with dementia (KED. Methods: A sample of 160 ambulatory residents with dementia from 14 long term care facilities was used to examine demographic, individual, cognitive, physical health, and environmental characteristics by comparing wanderers (N=108) to nonwanders (N=52). Subjects were evaluated by Korean versions of the Mini-mental State Exam (K-MMSE), the Physical and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-PIADL), and the Revised Algase Wandering Scale Nursing Home version (KRAWS-NH) along its six dimensions. Demographic and environmental data were also obtained. Independent sample ttests, Chi-square test, Fisher's Exact tests, and ANCOVAs were used to examine differences between wanderers and nonwanders. Results: Wanderers were significantly (p<.05) older and had more limitations in K-PADL and K-IADL. The degree of overall wandering and certain features of wandering were significantly different (p<.05) by total number of residents in the facility, type of bedroom (i.e., "Ondol"), and color of bedroom and living-room walls (i.e., sky blue). Conclusions: Findings of this study may be useful in understanding wandering behavior of KEDs and thus developing more culturally specific management strategies.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 29-38 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- Dementia
- Elders
- Environment
- Nursing home
- Wandering
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nursing(all)