The importance of getting back to nature for people with dementia.
As people age, the ability to interact with the outdoors may lessen. Frailty and mobility problems create barriers to engaging in outdoor activities or even experiencing the outdoors. The barriers are greater for people with dementia. As the disease worsens to the point of institutionalization, access to the outdoors may be completely barred and opportunities relinquished to the determination of facility personnel. This article will review current literature and some older seminal works on nature and nature-based stimuli for people with dementia, especially those living in nursing homes.
Bossen
Ann
A
Multi-Level Translational Research Application in Nursing Homes, University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1121, USA. ann-bossen@uiowa.edu
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001107:Architectural Accessibility; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D004779:Environment Design; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D019368:Nature; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology