Wanderers: Features, findings, issues

Our target was to draw a profile of wandering demented female elderly perso ns. We analyzed 132 inpatients of our Special Care Unit. The sample had a m ean age 78.6 +/- 9.4 (+/- SD) years, and school years of 4.5 +/- 1.5. Clini cal dementia rating (CDR) greater than or equal to 3 was in 56 %; global de terioration scale (GDS) greater than or equal to 5 was in 57 %; mini mental state examination (MMSE): 7.6 +/- 7.6; Barthel index total score: 57.7 +/- 31.9; Hachinski ischemic score (HIS): 4.9 +/- 2.8; neuropsychiatric invent ory (NPI) total score: 32.0 +/- 19.1; aberrant motor behavior: 4.2 +/- 4.9. Wanderers represented about half of the sample (51 %), they were somewhat younger (76.4 +/- 10.9 vs. 80.5 +/- 7.2 years) and more agitated. NPI agita ted behavior score was higher in wanderers (4.7 +/- 5.0) than in non-wander ers (3.0 +/- 4.4). NPI agitated behavior total score positively correlated with Bedford Alzheimer nursing severity scale (BANSS), so that most functio nally deteriorated persons showed more aberrant motor behavior. Wandering l ooks associated with an anamnesis positive for dementia in patients' father s. Cluster analysis showed a correlation of wandering with the agitated beh avior. Yet, wandering was in a cluster by itself. Wanderers fall thrice as much over a 3 months observation: 1.6 and 0.6 falls, respectively. Wanderin g severity was negatively correlated with either comorbidity or severity, a s shown by the cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS). The use of neurotrop ic drugs strongly correlated with behavioral disturbances, but not with wan dering. In conclusion, most links postulated by theoretical perspectives we re confirmed.