The use of tape patterns as an alternative method for controlling wanderers' exiting behavior in a dementia care unit

The number of elderly people moving into long-term care facilities is expected to increase as the population of people 65 and older continues to rise at a significantly high rate. Simultaneously, the number of people expected to be diagnosed with dementia will also increase unless a cure for this devastating disease is found. In the meantime, caregivers face many problems in providing healthy and humane treatments. One such problem that is a major concern for caregivers is controlling wandering behavior. This behavior often places patients in life threatening situations, and the current methods used by many facilities do not promote a high quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various tape patterns on the wandering behaviors of residents living in a special dementia care unit in Heritage Hall Nursing Home, Blacksburg, Virginia. Similar studies revealed that alternative methods using tape patterns could reduce exiting attempts at a fire exit door or could possibly increase these attempts. In order to address these inconsistencies, exiting attempts at a fire exit door were recorded during one baseline and two similar test conditions. It was found that exiting attempts was a serious problem in this unit as 40% of the residents attempted to exit the faci I ity during the study. The use of tape patterns reduced exiting attempts by 19.05% and 11.12%; however, this reduction was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the use of these tape patterns affected wandering behavior differently for each of the residents, suggesting that a multi-method approach for controlling exiting behavior may prove to be more successful when dealing with a heterogeneous sample and their multi-needs.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Housing, Interior Design, and Resource Management

Department dc:contributor.department

Housing, Interior Design, and Resource Management

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Hamilton, Claire L.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• McLain-Kark, Joan H.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Marshall-Baker, Anna
• Travis, Shirley S.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-12172008-063717

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/36239