People with Dementia More Likely to Go Missing

Summary: A new study reveals people with dementia are more likely to wander off and go missing. Researchers address strategies to help minimize this risky behavior.

Source: Queensland University of Technology.

The tendency of people with dementia to wander and become lost has led QUT researchers to recommend a ‘Silver Alert’ system, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children, be activated when someone with the diagnosis of dementia is reported lost.

Led by Dr Margie MacAndrew from the QUT-based Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration: Carers and Consumers (DCRC-CC), the paper on the research outcomes – ‘People with dementia getting lost in Australia: Dementia-related missing person reports in Australia’ – has just been published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing.

“More than 425,000 Australians live with dementia and a common, potentially life-threatening behaviour linked to dementia is wandering,” said Dr MacAndrew.

“My colleagues and I examined news articles published between 2011 and 2015 reporting on a missing person who had dementia. In that time, 130 missing person cases were reported, mostly men with an average age of 75.

“Of these, only 71 per cent were reported as being found and of those, 20 per cent were injured and another 20 per cent or 19 people were deceased.”

Dr MacAndrew said the study was an Australian-first and although there was an argument for the health benefits of wandering, including exercise and social interaction, it can be a risky behaviour when it went beyond safe limits.

“Characteristics of risky wandering include frequent and repetitive walking without resting which can be very tiring. Also walking without knowing where you are and how to get back home without help from another person; in other words, wayfinding problems,” she said.

“Wandering can result in potentially life-threatening outcomes such as malnutrition, increased risk of falls, injury, exhaustion, hypothermia, becoming lost and death.”

“Not all people with dementia who wander become lost but they are much more likely to than their peers who do not have dementia”.

Dr MacAndrew added that those identified from research as most vulnerable to becoming lost included those with disturbed sleep, extroverted personalities, a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or those with more advanced dementia.

“A similar study of newspaper reports in the United States alarmingly found most of the people with dementia who had died as a result of becoming lost were eventually found less than 1.6km from home,” she said.

“A ‘Silver Alert’ system is now in operation in 18 US states so that when a person with dementia/cognitive impairment is reported as being lost media outlets, law enforcement units and departments of transport are involved to spread the message.

“There is nothing similar in Australia at this stage despite the proportion of the population with dementia being similar. We think it could be very effective.

an old lady
“Not all people with dementia who wander become lost but they are much more likely to than their peers who do not have dementia”. NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.

“In our study, most people were found within five km of the place from which they went missing although one person managed to travel 800km. However, like the US, most of those found dead were very close to home.

“The findings suggest that people living independently in the community, along with those in aged care facilities, may need to undergo routine assessment to identity risk of wandering and the negative outcomes associated with it.

“We also recommend current approaches to coordinating a search and rescue attempt should include, careful searching in the immediate vicinity the person was last seen, particularly outbuildings and garden areas, should be given priority.

“Rapid reporting within one hour of knowing a person is missing is also known to help search and rescue have a better chance of finding a person alive and well.”

About this neuroscience research article

Source: Amanda Weaver – Queensland University of Technology
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “People with dementia getting lost in Australia: Dementia‐related missing person reports in the media” by Margaret MacAndrew, Linda Schnitker, Nicole Shepherd, and Elizabeth Beattie in Australasian Journal on Ageing. Published May 22 2018.
doi:10.1111/ajag.12542

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]Queensland University of Technology “People with Dementia More Likely to Go Missing.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 25 May 2018.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/missing-people-dementia-9140/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]Queensland University of Technology (2018, May 25). People with Dementia More Likely to Go Missing. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved May 25, 2018 from https://neurosciencenews.com/missing-people-dementia-9140/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]Queensland University of Technology “People with Dementia More Likely to Go Missing.” https://neurosciencenews.com/missing-people-dementia-9140/ (accessed May 25, 2018).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

People with dementia getting lost in Australia: Dementia‐related missing person reports in the media

Objective
This study aimed to understand the circumstances in which people with dementia become lost, and the outcomes of these incidents.

Methods
A search was conducted of news articles published in Australia between 2011 and 2015 reporting a missing person with a diagnosis of dementia.

Results
Over the five‐year period, 130 missing person cases were reported. The average age of the missing person was 75 years with more men (74%) than women reported missing. Most missing persons travelled on foot (62%) and were last seen at home (66%). The newspaper reports described 92 (71%) of the individuals being found. Of these, 60% were found well, 20% were found injured, and 20% were deceased.

Conclusions
People with dementia are at risk of becoming lost from their homes or health‐care settings, and this can have catastrophic outcomes. Care strategies need to focus on promoting autonomy while ensuring adverse outcomes are minimised.

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