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Scheduled Medications and Falls in Dementia Patients Utilizing a Wander Garden

Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, and Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, Mark.Detweiler1{at}med.va.gov

Pamela F. Murphy, MBA

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Kye Y. Kim, MD

Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, and Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Laura C. Myers, MT, BC

Catawba Hospital, Catawba, Virginia

Afshan Ashai, MD

University of Virginia School of Medicine, Roanoke Valley Program, Salem, Virginia

Little has been reported about the relationship of a dementia wander garden with scheduled psychiatric medications in addition to changes in fall number and severity. The 28 participating residents of a dementia unit were divided into high (HUG) and low (LUG) wander garden user groups and assessed for the number and severity of falls. The type and dose of scheduled psychiatric medications were monitored for 12 months before and 12 months after the wander garden was opened. Results indicated that the residents experienced about a 30% decrease for the raw number of falls and fall severity scores. The HUG had a significant reduction in high-dose antipsychotics, whereas there was relatively no change in antidepressant, hypnotic, and anxiolytic use. High wander garden user group required fewer scheduled medications and experienced reduced falls and lower fall morbidity than the LUG. The most significant changes in scheduled psychiatric medications were reductions in scheduled antipsychotics and an increase in residents requiring no antipsychotics.

Key Words: wander garden • dementia • fall • psychotropic agents

This version was published on August 1, 2009

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 24, No. 4, 322-332 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1533317509334036


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