A multiple case study of wayfinding in dementia of the Alzheimer type: Decision making

Difficulties in finding one's way around familiar and unfamiliar places are among the first clinical signs of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Fe w systematic studies have directly examined this ability. This paper report s on wayfinding abilities and decision making of fourteen patients at the e arly and intermediate stages of the disease. They were asked to reach a des tination in a hospital. Each patient was matched with two control subjects. Their verbalizations during the route were recorded, transcribed and conte nt-analyzed to identify decisions according to a pre-established typology. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to reveal patterns of decision ma king. For the original trip, results showed that DAT patients still had the ability to deal with decisions considered basic and concrete. However, dec isions based on higher intellectual abilities were much more difficult.