Original StudyGreen Care Farms as Innovative Nursing Homes, Promoting Activities and Social Interaction for People With Dementia
Section snippets
Design
A longitudinal observational design was used, including a baseline measurement and 6-month follow-up.9 Ecological momentary assessments (EMA)19 of residentsā living in different types of nursing home facilities were conducted. These repeated assessments allow researchers to assess affect, behavior, and environmental factors (both socially and physically) close in time to the actual experience.19, 20 Residents were observed at a baseline measurement and a 6-month follow-up.
Setting/Sample
The experimental group
Results
Consent was obtained from 115 (73%) of 158 eligible residents. At follow-up, 100 residents still participated in the study. This resulted in 9660 baseline observations and 7200 follow-up observations.
Discussion
The current study shows that green care farms are a valuable addition to the nursing home spectrum. Residents living at green care farms are more active than are residents of traditional nursing homes. Furthermore, when activities are carried out, residents are more often engaged, have more social interaction, and come outside more often at green care farms. Compared with residents of regular small-scale living facilities, residents of green care farms were more physically active during their
Conclusion
In conclusion, green care farms have demonstrated that they are a valuable alternative to traditional nursing homes, as they provide residents with engagement in activities, social interaction, physical activity, and increased opportunities to go outside. These findings can be valuable for existing nursing home facilities, given the current focus on person-centered care for people with dementia in nursing homes, which emphasizes factors such as social interaction and participation in
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
This study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW): 728010002. They had no role in study design, analyses, interpretation of the data, writing the article or in the decision to submit the article for publication.