One in five people with dementia wander. Long-term care facilities must deal with wandering while simultaneously protecting residents, complying with life-safety codes, maintaining a home-like environment, and respecting resident rights. Wanderers tend to be physically healthier than those who do not wander, but more behaviorally disturbed. Experts indicate that 72% of patients who elope will attempt to elope again. Strategies like using commercial security systems, landscaping to direct wanderers' attention back to the facility, keeping resident albums with recent pictures and facts about the resident, and having a research-based policy help prevent serious outcomes.
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Wick et al. (2006) studied this question.
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