Visiting Out-of-Home Places when Living with Dementia

Persons living with dementia face a reduction of their life space outside home and disengagement from participation, linked to places visited. This study explored stability and change in perceived participation in places visited outside home and its relationship with occupational gaps among older adults. Older adults living with ( = 35) or without ( = 35) dementia were interviewed using the Participation in ACTivities and Places OUTside Home (ACT-OUT) questionnaire and the Occupational Gaps Questionnaire (OGQ). Data analysis used descriptive and inferential statistics. The group of people living with dementia reported significantly fewer places ( < .001) visited than the comparison group and having abandoned more places visited ( < .001) than the comparison group. The number of occupational gaps was significantly different between groups ( < .001). Participation outside home is not influenced in a uniform and straightforward way for persons living with dementia; the shrinking world effect appears differently in relation to types of places.