PAN-CANADIAN ESTIMATES OF THE PREVALENCE ASSOCIATED WITH CRITICAL WANDERING AMONG HOME CARE CLIENTS
2024

Prevalence of Critical Wandering in Home Care Clients

Sample size: 1598191 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Miguel-Cruz Antonio, Perez Hector, Jantzi Micaela, Liu Lili, Hirdes John P

Primary Institution: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Hypothesis

Is there a significant association between dementia and the prevalence of critical wandering among home care clients?

Conclusion

The study found that 3.0% of home care clients exhibited recent critical wandering, with a strong association to dementia and cognitive impairment.

Supporting Evidence

  • The overall rate of recent wandering among home care clients is 3.0%, representing 48,641 unique individuals.
  • Dementia was present in 23.6% of the sample.
  • Cognitive impairment was strongly associated with the prevalence of recent wandering.

Takeaway

Some people with dementia wander away from home, and this study found that about 3 out of every 100 home care clients do this.

Methodology

The study used 17 years of cross-sectional clinical assessment records from home care services based on interRAI Home Care assessments.

Participant Demographics

The sample was mainly older adults, with 84.3% over the age of 65 and 60.9% female.

Statistical Information

P-Value

< 0.0001

Statistical Significance

p < 0.0001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.3291

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