In: Statistics and Probability
A Descriptive Study of Elderly Patients With Dementia Who Died Wandering Outdoors in Kochi Prefecture, Japan
This was a descriptive study of elderly persons with dementia who were found dead after becoming lost in the community. Causes of death were drowning (n = 8), trauma (n = 5), hypothermia (n = 2), and debilitation possibly due to fatigue (n = 1) or were unknown (n = 3).
Here suppose the cause of death were drowning is any x variable= 8
Trauma is y variable=5
Hypothermia is z variable=2
Fatigue is u variable= 1 or 3
List of independent variable is x
List of dependent variable is u, y, z as the three deseases are occur when body temperature is low hence they are dependent
This study employed a retrospective descriptive design. Data were gathered from police investigative reports
The study has potential implications for enabling their early discovery and protection.
The causes of death were drowning (n = 8), trauma (n = 5), hypothermia (n = 2), debilitation possibly due to wandering fatigue (n = 1), or were unknown (n = 3). Drowning sites included the river , sea and pond and the probable cause of death in every instance was falling into the water while walking or driving. Deaths from trauma (n = 5) were caused by being hit by a vehicle and falling from high positions while walking at night. Two hypothermia cases occurred due to walking outdoors in low temperatures
.The mean age of men and women in our study was relatively close to the mean Japanese lifespan of 79.9 and 86.4 years for men and women, respectively. In general, patients with dementia who stay in a hospital or nursing home are less likely to become lost in the community. Probable reasons for the higher risk of such deaths among older adults with dementia living at home, compared with those staying in hospitals, include the increase in those living alone and the reduced capacity to care for these individuals in their homes due to the current trend toward nuclear families in Japan.