가족 돌봄 제공자의 치매노인 배회관리 경험

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze and describe experiences of family caregivers with management of wandering of elders with dementia. Methods: Qualitative data were collected through focus groups and individual interviews with 10 participants in November 2014. All interviews were recorded and transcribed in verbatim, and analyzed using the content analysis method. Results: Two main themes were drawn: characteristics of wandering behaviors in community-dwelling elders with dementia and strategies for wandering management of their family caregivers. The first theme included three categories and 14 subcategories. The second theme included two categories and 10 subcategories. It was found that the community-dwelling elders with dementia had high risks for becoming lost due to large and complex community circumstance, so they were likely to be exposed to the danger of accidents and illness. Their family caregivers used inappropriate strategies to manage wandering in early phase of experiencing it and utilized more appropriate strategies gradually after undergoing trial and error. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest the need to develop protocols for wandering management taking into account individual characteristics and the importance of educating family caregivers about wandering management strategies especially in the early phase of experiencing the symptom.