Abstract
BackgroundDementia is a major issue worldwide, and considerable efforts were made to design therapeutic mediation tools and evaluate their benefits on the health of patients.MethodsDesign: Multi-center cluster-controlled pilot trial.Settings and participants: Four nursing homes that offered separated access to one conventional sensory garden (CSG) and one enriched garden (EG). The participants were residents with dementia, independent for walking and with no severe dementia or behavioural troubles. Eligible residents were divided into three groups according to the proximity of their room: close to the CSG or EG gardens for the first two groups and further from the gardens for the third (control) group.Interventions: We asked staff members to frequently invite residents to visit the EG or the CSG depending on their group allocation. No invitation to gardens was made to the control group. We installed 12 enrichment modules in the EG that stimulated cognitive, independence and walking/balance functions.Measures: Cognitive function (MMSE), independence for activities of daily living (ADL) and risk of falls (unipodal stance and timed up and go – (TUG)) were assessed at baseline and after 6 months.ResultsThe 120 participants were 81·0 ± 3·5 years old and comprised of 83 women. Their MMSE score was 17·5 ± 2·9. Patients’ characteristics were not significantly different between the three groups. Among the participants invited to visit the EG group, 6-month changes in MMSE showed improvement compared to other groups (+ 0·93 ± 0·65 vs −0·25 ± 0·71 and −0·24 ± 0·73 in the EG vs CSG and control groups, respectively, P < 0·0001). Changes in ADL, TUG and unipodal stance were significantly improved in the group visiting the EG as compared to other groups, which indicates better functioning.ConclusionsEGs offer a new approach to therapeutic mediation for residents of nursing homes with dementia.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are the leading causes of disability, dependence and institutionalization in the elderly
The well-being of nursing home residents is a major goal of care, which is positively affected by many factors such as appropriate medical care, nutrition, housing, everyday care and good relationships and communication with staff members, family members and other residents [2]
Environmental design may participate in the well-being of nursing home residents, and the concepts of therapeutic or dementia-friendly environments [3] have emerged from the literature
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are the leading causes of disability, dependence and institutionalization in the elderly. Environmental design may participate in the well-being of nursing home residents, and the concepts of therapeutic or dementia-friendly environments [3] have emerged from the literature. The Interdem Social Task Force supported, through an expert consensus, the idea that the design of the physical environment is a promising way to improve the social health of people with dementia [4]. These environments are designed to compensate for impairments related to advancing age and neurocognitive disease. Dementia is a major issue worldwide, and considerable efforts were made to design therapeutic mediation tools and evaluate their benefits on the health of patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
