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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2003 Mar-Apr;18(2):85–92. doi: 10.1177/153331750301800202

Biomechanical activity devices to index wandering behaviour in dementia

Donna L Algase, Elizabeth R A Beattie 1, Sara A Leitsch 2, Cynthia A Beel-Bates 3
PMCID: PMC10833858  PMID: 12708223

Abstract

Valid and reliable measures of wandering are needed to study this troubling behavior. Although researchers have used various perspectives, definitions, and approaches to study wandering, spontaneous ambulation is a key characteristic across all views. Biomechanical activity devices for capturing movement provide one way to index wandering. This study examined four devices with ambulatory nursing home residents with dementia (N = 178) who wore devices simultaneously during four observations. Among the Actillume, StepWatch, Step Sensor, and TriTrac-R3D, the StepWatch yielded data from the highest proportion of observations, explained the most variance (63.9 percent) among all instruments, and was acceptable to nursing staff. Although the Step Sensor was the staff's preferred device, its performance was least acceptable for research purposes. Results support use of the StepWatch in future studies of wandering.

Keywords: biomechanical activity devices, dementia, wandering behavior

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Contributor Information

Elizabeth R. A. Beattie, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, Michigan..

Sara A. Leitsch, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, Michigan..

Cynthia A. Beel-Bates, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, Michigan..

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