Supporting safe walking and managing missing incidents in dementia: a qualitative narrative synthesis of current evidence.
Background People with dementia are at risk of going missing while walking outdoors, which can significantly affect their safety and well-being. However, evidence on their lived experiences during such incidents, as well as on strategies that may improve care remain limited. Aim To conduct a narrati...
| Publicado en: | Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 1 - 15 |
|---|---|
| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
| Publicado: |
Oxford University Press / USA
Jan2026
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=192513112&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 192513112 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00020729 AGA jtl: Age & Ageing issn: 00020729 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2026 vid: 55 iid: 1 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 192513112 10.1093/ageing/afaf371 ppf: 1 ppct: 14 formats: tig: atl: Supporting safe walking and managing missing incidents in dementia: a qualitative narrative synthesis of current evidence. aug: au: Kwok, Hoi Tat Dhawan, Annika Lye, Valerie Fong, Lawrence Leung, Phuong Orgeta, Vasiliki affil: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, W1T 7NF, UK su: Community health services Patient safety Qualitative research Focus groups Autonomy (Psychology) Medical personnel Interviewing Privacy Quality of life Social support Police Patients' attitudes Social isolation Medical ethics Medical information storage & retrieval systems Patients' families Independent living Wandering behavior CINAHL database Wearable technology Global Positioning System Walking Systematic reviews MEDLINE Telemedicine Attitudes of medical personnel Research methodology Biotelemetry Dementia Stakeholder analysis Caregiver attitudes Residential care Psychology information storage & retrieval systems Disease complications sug: subj: Community health services Patient safety Qualitative research Focus groups Autonomy (Psychology) Medical personnel Interviewing Privacy Quality of life Social support Police Patients' attitudes Social isolation Medical ethics Other Individual and Family Services Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities Community health centres All Other Outpatient Care Centers Other local, municipal and regional public administration Federal police services Provincial police services Municipal police services Police Protection Other Residential Care Facilities Medical information storage & retrieval systems Patients' families Independent living Wandering behavior CINAHL database Wearable technology Global Positioning System Walking Systematic reviews MEDLINE Telemedicine Attitudes of medical personnel Research methodology Biotelemetry Dementia Stakeholder analysis Caregiver attitudes Residential care Psychology information storage & retrieval systems Disease complications keyword: copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society copyrightYear:2026 dementia https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaf371 inLanguage:en missing incidents narrative discourse narrative synthesis older people publisher:Oxford University Press safe walking sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482955/ systematic review tracking devices copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society copyrightYear:2026 dementia https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaf371 inLanguage:en missing incidents narrative discourse narrative synthesis older people publisher:Oxford University Press safe walking sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482955/ systematic review tracking devices ab: Background People with dementia are at risk of going missing while walking outdoors, which can significantly affect their safety and well-being. However, evidence on their lived experiences during such incidents, as well as on strategies that may improve care remain limited. Aim To conduct a narrative synthesis of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences and preferences of people with dementia, family carers and professionals in relation to strategies for supporting safe walking and preventing missing episodes in both community and residential care settings. Methods Four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL) were systematically searched up to April 2025. Studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative research checklist. A narrative synthesis framework was adapted to explore themes emerging within and among studies. Results Of the 19 207 articles identified, 25 met the inclusion criteria. Four themes emerged: (a) emotional impact of missing episodes, (b) safe walking as a fundamental need for people with dementia, (c) existing strategies for safe walking and responding to missing episodes and (d) experiences of using technological solutions to prevent and manage missing incidents. Conclusions Preventive and reactive strategies, including technological devices, can promote safe walking for people with dementia. There is an urgent need to embed safe walking plans within dementia care packages to mitigate harms associated with missing incidents. Initiatives that raise awareness of risk among people with dementia, carers and professionals should form a core component of clinical practice. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|