2-DIMENSIONAL GRID IS INEFFECTIVE AGAINST DEMENTED PATIENTS EXITING THROUGH GLASS DOORS

An extension of the visual-grid method of controlling egress from a 30-bed specialized dementia care unit of a nursing home was tested. Hussian and Brown (1987) significantly reduced patient egress attempts from a state hospital psychogeriatric ward with strips of beige tape on a brown floor near an opaque door. In this study, black tape was used on a white floor at both glass exit doors, in the same configuration as Hussian and Brown's (1987) most effective condition. Data indicated no intervention effect. Results are attributed mainly to the glass doors, which allow an outdoor view and can entice residents outward and distract them from the floor grid.