WANDERING Nursing Care Plan

       Wandering is persistent locomotion or continuous movement from place to place. A person that wanders has scanning and searching behaviors, hyperactivity, and unable to locate significant landmarks in a familiar setting. This is usually related to impaired cerebral function or mental retardation and other mental dysfunction like dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, physiologic factors such as hunger, thirst, pain, urination and constipation may cause wandering. Anxiety, boredom, depression and agitation or even separation to someone may lead to wandering condition.

Here is a sample of nursing care plan for wandering:

ASSESSMENT:
Subjective
"I want to go home, but I don't know exactly where I am now. I've been walking for almost 2 hours." client said.

Objective:
- Poor eye contact
- Keep looking around
- Looks anxious
- Pale
- Dry mouth
- Dry skin
- Persistent walking
- Weakness
- Fatigue

DIAGNOSIS:
       Wandering related to persistent walking for almost 2 hours as manifested by weakness and fatigue.

PLANNING:
After 4 hours of nursing intervention, the client will return to home safely and the caretakers will anticipate and prevent wandering behaviors.

INTERVENTIONS:
- Assess the contributing factors such as anxiety, confusion, frustration, boredom, agitation and physiological urge like hunger, thirst, urination and constipation. Reduced or eliminate the assessed contributing factors, if possible. 

- For anxiety intervention, go to ANXIETY Nursing Care Plan.

- Always redirect the client when he or she is lost. Provide him or her a safe route for walking.

- Provide regular opportunities for the client to walk with a caregiver or a companion in a safe area. 

- To provide safety and restrictions, install locks on doors and windows. If you try to provide electronic devices such as buzzers on doors and pressure sensitive alarms, make sure your neighbors, police and other residence are aware of the client's wandering behavior. Also encourage them to notify the caregiver or the relatives when the client is wandering. Provide them a picture or image of the client in order to familiarize the client's identity.

EVALUATION:
After 4 hours of nursing intervention, the client returned to home safely and the caretakers will anticipate the prevent client's wandering behavior.


Above is just a sample of nursing care plan in wandering. According to Linda Juall Carpenito, this approved NANDA-I diagnosis is more useful than risk for Injury, which was previously used. Risk for Injury focuses on strategies to protect a client from injury. Wandering directs interventions to protect the client from injury in addition to addressing the factors for the wandering behavior, if possible.

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