Awe Walks Improve Quality of Life, Attention, Orientation, Mood & Social Behaviour in Dementia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundResearch has consistently shown decreased quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia, with predictors of QoL ranging from education to emotional status. This study investigated the impact of Awe Walks as an intervention targeting emotional status for the first time in dementia. Awe—a positive emotion elicited when in the presence of vast things not immediately understood—promotes social connection and fosters well‐being by encouraging a “small self”.MethodParticipants with dementia between the ages of 60 and 85 took biweekly 15‐min outdoor walks for 4 weeks; a total of 53 participants were matched and randomly assigned either to an awe walk group, which oriented them to experience awe during their walks, or to a waitlist control group. Pre‐ and post‐intervention measures of QoL, cognitive functioning, behavioural pathology relevant to daily functioning, and clinical global impression were completed.ResultCompared to degenerative deterioration in controls, individuals who participated in the Awe Walk intervention exhibited greater improvements in QoL, attention, orientation, mood, and social behaviour.ConclusionThese results suggest cultivating awe enhances positive emotions that improve quality of life and diminishes negative emotions that hasten decline. An intervention such as this, cost‐effective and simply executed, has important implications for providing quality care to this population served by neuropsychologists.