Exposure to nature gardens has time-dependent associations with mood improvements for people with mid- and late-stage dementia: Innovative practice

TY - JOUR

T1 - Exposure to nature gardens has time-dependent associations with mood improvements for people with mid- and late-stage dementia

T2 - Innovative practice

AU - White, Piran Cl

AU - Wyatt, Jonathan

AU - Chalfont, Garuth

AU - Bland, J Martin

AU - Neale, Christopher

AU - Trepel, Dominic

AU - Graham, Hilary

N1 - © The Author(s) 2017. This is an author-produced version of a paper accepted for publication. Uploaded with permission of the publisher/copyright holder. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

PY - 2017/8/24

Y1 - 2017/8/24

N2 - Exposure to green space and nature has a potential role to play in the care of people with dementia, with possible benefits including improved mood and slower disease progression. In this observational study at a dementia care facility in the UK, we used carer-assessed measures to evaluate change in mood of residents with mid- to late-stage dementia following exposure to a nature garden. We found that exposure to nature was associated with a beneficial change in patient mood. There was a non-linear relationship between time spent outdoors and mood outcome. Improvements in patient mood were associated with relatively short duration exposures to nature, and no additional measureable increases in mood were found with exposures beyond 80-90 minutes duration. Whilst further investigation is required before causality can be determined, these results raise important questions for policy about the integration of outdoor space into the design of dementia care facilities and programmes.

AB - Exposure to green space and nature has a potential role to play in the care of people with dementia, with possible benefits including improved mood and slower disease progression. In this observational study at a dementia care facility in the UK, we used carer-assessed measures to evaluate change in mood of residents with mid- to late-stage dementia following exposure to a nature garden. We found that exposure to nature was associated with a beneficial change in patient mood. There was a non-linear relationship between time spent outdoors and mood outcome. Improvements in patient mood were associated with relatively short duration exposures to nature, and no additional measureable increases in mood were found with exposures beyond 80-90 minutes duration. Whilst further investigation is required before causality can be determined, these results raise important questions for policy about the integration of outdoor space into the design of dementia care facilities and programmes.

KW - Journal Article

UR - http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/JWhvsTEfNWGgtSWfnk6Z/full

U2 - 10.1177/1471301217723772

DO - 10.1177/1471301217723772

M3 - Article

C2 - 28835119

SN - 1471-3012

JO - Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice

JF - Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice

ER -