Clinical Use of Sensory Gardens and Outdoor Environments in Norwegian Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional E-mail Survey

Abstract

Gardens and outdoor environments offer multiple therapeutic possibilities for the residents in nursing homes. Web-based questionnaires were sent to 488 nursing home leaders and 121 leaders responded. The clinical impressions of the leaders and staff regarding the benefits of sensory gardens (SGs) to the residents were consistent with previous research. SGs facilitated taking residents outdoors, offered convenient topics for communication and facilitated social privacy for relatives. For improved clinical use of SGs and outdoor environments, systematic assessment of residents' interests, performance and experiences when outdoors, implementation of seasonal clinical programmes and educational programmes for leaders and staff are recommended.

Social health and dementia: a European consensus on the operationalization of the concept and directions for research and practice

“…Effective interventions for the person with dementia are, for example, those supporting the person to adapt to, and cope with, their changing abilities and limitations, including cognitive rehabilitation therapies, such as goal-oriented tailored cognitive rehabilitation therapy, cognitive stimulation group therapy, cognitive training, and exercise and psychomotor therapy (Bahar-Fuchs et al, 2013; Dr€ oes et al, 2011); case management based on the model of empowerment (MacNeil Vroomen et al, 2015), and other interventions aimed to enhance a person's strengths and capabilities (from care for basic needs, to support to participate in a community, taking stock of one's life through reminiscence, and providing opportunities to gain new skills); staff awareness training, which aims to enable professional caregivers to better identify signs of awareness in people with dementia to improve their quality of life and that of their caregivers (Clare et al, 2013); and support groups (Toms, Clare, Nixon, & Quinn, 2015). Other beneficial interventions are those aimed at recognizing care needs (Miranda-Castillo, et al, 2013) and at providing meaningful activities creating stimulating, positive experiences, like green care farms (de Boer et al, 2015;Verbeek, 2015) and horticultural activities (Gonzalez & Kirkevold, 2015), and when dementia is more advanced, non-verbal communication methods, like doll therapy, snoezelen and Namaste (Shin, 2015;Stacpoole, Hockley, Thompsell, Simard, & Volicer, 2015;van Weert, van Dulmen, Spreeuwenberg, Ribbe, & Bensing, 2005).…”

Development of an education integrated design framework for the physical space of nursing homes in relation to life expectancy of the older people

“…The restorative factor in terms of design can be achieved through designing self-care educational spaces for health and safety of the elderly, such as gyms, aqua therapy pools, and other spaces, which lead to the interaction of the elderly in such spaces, in order to increase indirect health education in a physical environment. Moreover, researches exist regarding the way to achieve restorative design through, for instance, the design of (Gonzalez & Kirkevold, 2015), and perceptual health education by creating recreational and fitness spaces, or embedding rehabilitation and mobility equipment in both personal social spaces and collective common spaces (Elias & Cook, 2016). (Zhai, Li, & Liu, 2018).…”

Positive Health Effects Of The Natural Environment On Children With Disability

“…They not only increase the attention of children but also give them emotions of livingness and cohesion with earth (Kuo and Faber Taylor, 2004). Taking from indoors to outdoors cause an important change and similarly, being in the fresh air is mostly passive nature experiences and nice activities and they are generally followed by experience, hope, cognitive engagement and admiration (Gonzalez and Kirkevold, 2015).…”