Gardens for People with Dementia

Abstract

SUMMARY Although exposure to the natural environment has therapeutic benefits for nursing home residents and residents with dementia (Cohen-Mansfield & Werner, 1998; Lovering et al., 2002; Mooney & Nicell, 1992), many elders living in congregate facilities have limited access to the natural world. Long-term care facilities often do not incorporate the use of plants and natural settings into their daily activities due to limited knowledge, time, and funding. A twenty-two hour training program was developed and tested to increase the knowledge of activity staff about horticulture and how to involve their residents in the outdoor environment. Staff members were able to introduce changes both to their activity programs and to the outdoor environments in their facilities as a result. Key Words: Therapeutic horticulture traininglong-term careelderlyoutdoor environmentolder adultsdementia