RFID: A Tool for Measuring Wandering in Persons with Dementia

Wandering in persons with dementia is meandering, aimless or repetitive locomotion that exposes a person to harm and is incongruent with boundaries, limits or obstacles. Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) are used in alarm systems in nursing homes to differentiate dementia patients from staff and visitors at exitways and to provide selective lockdown. RFID is a well-proven, robust and widely-used technology. Few studies of wandering and wandering-related behavior especially as it occurs in home settings have been attempted, largely because of a lack of suitable measurement tools. Advances in RFID technology present an innovative means to study wandering. Pilot data are presented on the use of a new ultra-wideband RFID technology to precisely monitor wandering behavior in home settings by persons with dementia