Wandering behaviour from the perspectives of older adults living with mild to moderate dementia in long-term care homes

Abstract

Wandering is often described as “aimless walking” and “disruptive”. Kitwood’s Enriched Model of Dementia challenges us to focus on the person, not the behaviour. This exploratory study addressed a gap in the literature on wandering behaviour by gaining the perspectives of older adults living with mild to moderate dementia in long-term care homes and their family members. Walking interviews were conducted with eight older adults. Family members provided additional information on their relatives’ walking history. Key themes were: walking as enjoyable and good, walking for health benefits, walking as purposeful, walking as a lifelong habit, walking as a form of socialization, walking as a coping strategy, and walking to find and be with animals. These results suggest a reconceptualization of wandering from aimless walking and a disruption to a purposeful and beneficial activity. The findings form the groundwork for future studies on promoting safe walking for older adults living with dementia.