The importance of getting back to nature for people with dementia

Abstract

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.