The Role of Applied Behaviour Analysis in Managing Wandering in Individuals with Dementia

Abstract

The number of people with dementia is only increasing due to an ageing population. One associated behaviour of concern is wandering. Currently, there is minimal research from a behavioural perspective on managing wandering behaviour of individuals with dementia. Although surveyed clinicians report working with people with dementia and addressing wandering behaviour using a behavioural framework. Clinicians reported both similarities and differences to behavioural methods when working with people with dementia to other populations such as ASD and ID. There are several barriers reported by clinicians, which were also observed within a dementia unit, when working with people with dementia. The practical barriers and lack of research establishes the need for greater empirical literature and adaptions of standard methods to address wandering behaviour by individuals with dementia.