Article

Wandering is a behavioural disorder, which occurs in Alzheimer's
disease or other dementia. People who wander are at risk of physical harm and
untimely death. Moreover, wandering behaviour causes a lot of stress to the
caregivers. In the last few years, different geolocation devices have been
developed in order to minimise risk and manage unsafe wandering. These detection
systems rarely meet patients and caregivers' needs because they are not involved
in the devices building process. AIM: The aim is to explore the needs and
perceptions of wandering persons and their caregivers towards existing tracking
devices as well as their acceptability and usability. This paper reports a dyad
case. MATERIALS: The tracking system tested is presented as a mobile Global
Positioning System (GPS) receiver-shaped, including function of telephony and
data transfer via GSM/GPRS. METHOD: Dyad patient/caregiver expressed their needs
and perceptions towards tracking devices and gave their impressions about the
functioning of the tested device at the end of the test. RESULTS: The patient
focused on the device's shape which he found too voluminous and unaesthetic, and
was unable to give an opinion about the device's functioning. The spouse
highlighted malfunctions and usage difficulties, which made the device not
appropriate to her needs. CONCLUSION: Involving end-users in the co-design of new
technologies is necessary for building tailored devices. Moreover, in this area
of dementia care, the person-centred approach is essential to a tailored
wandering management.

Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS