WANDERING BEHAVIOR AND ATTEMPTED EXITS AMONG RESIDENTS DIAGNOSED WITHDEMENTIA-RELATED ILLNESSES - A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Exiting attempts and wandering behavior among residents diagnosed with dementia-related illnesses were investigated. Residents were exposed to three test conditions: a mini-blind that concealed the view from th e door, a cloth panel that concealed the panic bar of the door, and bo th the mini-blind and the cloth panel. During these test conditions, q ualitative observations were conducted in addition to recording the at tempted exits. The purpose of this paper is to present the qualitative findings in relationship to a model developed. The findings suggests that residents seemed to exit due to goal-orientation, exit-seeking be haviors, and attraction to the panic bar.