Liberté d'aller et venir et Unités Alzheimer en EHPADÂ : aspects éthiques et bonnes pratiques

For mobile Alzheimer patients, freedom to come and go safely is not only a right, it is part of good practice. Contention and confinement lead to severe behaviors and mood disorders that can have catastrophic consequences. Besides their architectural layout, the main interest of Alzheimer Units is that they should deploy specialized care teams with sufficient numbers of skilled, educated and trained professionals to take care of these frail patients, run by a management competent in this specific type of care. The involvement of families is also essential. When these conditions are met, Alzheimer Units provide considerable progress in the care and quality of life of these vulnerable patients. In the absence of provisions of this sort, these units risk becoming places of mere confinement where, for lack of meaningful care, ill-treatment can set in.