Griffiths, A.W. orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-9168, Cunha, I., Mikhaylova-O’Connell, Y. et al. (3 more authors) (2024) Exploring the impact of care home environments and culture on supporting residents to “wander” safely. Aging & Mental Health, 28 (10). pp. 1410-1418. ISSN 1360-7863
Abstract
Background
Up to 60% of people with dementia living in care homes will ‘wander’ at some point, which has typically been seen by staff as a problematic behaviour. A range of non-pharmacological interventions have been tested to either support or prevent wandering. However, even recent innovative practice continues to maintain a focus on reducing or preventing wandering. This study aimed to identify, for the first time, care home staff perspectives on home level factors that facilitate or hinder them supporting residents to wander safely.
Methods
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 care home staff, working in the North of England. Framework analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results
A range of environmental considerations were identified by staff. Care home design influenced how residents were able to move safely around, and inclusion of points of interest encouraged walking to different locations, such as a garden. Staff worried about managing access to other residents’ rooms by people who wander. Within the care home culture, prioritising safe staffing levels, training and awareness, involving external healthcare professionals where required and mentorship from experienced staff members, all contributed towards safe wandering. Staff support for positive risk-taking within the care home was key to promote person-centred care, alongside careful oversight and management of relationships between residents.
Conclusions
We identified a range of cultural and environmental factors that contribute towards safe wandering. A positive approach to risk-taking by staff is required to support residents to engage in wandering as an enjoyable activity, whilst acknowledging that there are inherent risks associated with this.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Aging & Mental Health is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | wandering; positive risk-taking; dementia; social care |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NIHR205173 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 03 Apr 2024 15:02 |
Last Modified: | 08 Nov 2024 16:57 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor and Francis Group |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/13607863.2024.2338204 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:210896 |
Downloads
Filename: Wandering Manuscript 1 18324.pdf
Licence: CC-BY 4.0
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0