Therapeutic Gardens

The purpose of this literature review is to show the need for more research into the effectiveness of utilizing sensory therapy with elderly adults living with dementia. There has been a significant amount of research and studies conducted on other mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, however, there is a gap in the research regarding sensory therapy and dementia. Having this research conducted could possibly help with the symptoms associated with this debilitating illness.

The quasi-experimental study will be longitudinal and evaluative in nature, evaluating the effectiveness of AAI in persons with dementia over a span of three years. The researcher will seek to follow two hundred dementia patients over 65 over the course of three years, evaluating the impact of Animal-Assisted Intervention, in the form of fish aquariums, on their quality of life and mental state. Participants will be selected that are over 65 and have had a diagnosis of dementia for at least a year. Cluster sampling will be used to select patients from 10 Dallas Fort Worth area nursing homes or memory care facilities. Nursing homes and memory care facilities used in the study will be selected to represent a variety of socio-economic and

Darby, S. Marr, J. Crump, A Scurfield, M (1999) Older People, Nursing & Mental Health. Oxford: Buterworth-Heinemann.

A study as discussed by Science Daily from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center aimed at finding a correlation between meditation practice and stress relief, and it's effect on the speed at which Alzheimer's, and “other dementias” progressed. The study participants were adults ranging in age from 55 to 90, 14 of the participants had already been diagnosed with “mild cognitive impairment.” The adults in the study were then broken off into two groups, one of which used meditation and yoga as a form of “Mindful Based Stress Reduction” (MBSR), while the other received normal

For more than fifty years, Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) has been a vital part of life in the Okaloosa and Walton county areas. In addition to serving the community with adult education and college courses, NWFSC provides the Child Development & Education Center, Collegiate High School, AmeriCorps, Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, and Mattie M. Kelly Cultural & Environmental Institute. A natural extension of these programs would be an on campus NWFSC Garden. The dictionary definition of a garden is “1) a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated. 2) a piece of ground or other space, commonly with ornamental plants, trees, etc., used as a park or other public recreation

Reminiscing to 2010, when I was faced with my grandmother 's illness during the adolescent years in my life I knew that I had a passion to care for the elderly (aging) population. From this passion, it ignited a fire so strong that I pursue my certified nursing assistant certification to gain a better understanding of working with the elderly population. By doing so, it has been a great benefit to my life; aging is an inevitable experience that we all will go through during our life. It is important to ensure that our elderly individuals are still able to enjoy the best quality of life after retirement. However, as we age, there will be a lifestyle change that the aging population must encounter.

Many nursing home residents, including the elderly residents at Hoosier Christian Village, struggle daily with symptoms of situational depression, anxiety, and various mental illnesses brought on by inactivity, decline in physical and mental competence, and the unavoidable confrontation with death. In addition, many residents are admitted to the residence because of previous mental illnesses; therefore, future development or recurrence of these diseases is nearly inevitable.

For this study 68 residents were chosen and were divided into two groups; 33 residents whom completed the yoga training and the control group of 35 residents. Before the start of the study, data was collected to create a baseline and was collected again afterwards for comparison between the two groups. The researchers were able to collect the data needed through questionnaires and physical measurements, such as measurements of body composition, muscle strength and endurance, depression and problem behaviours. At the end of the 12 week study, significant differences were found between the control group and the yoga group. Some of the differences found included changes in all physical health measurements, expect boy fat, and mental health had improved for the yoga group, while the control group experienced physical health deterioration and no improvement in mental health. The research question intents to find interventions that would provide positive behavioural changes for those with dementia. Therefore, the mental improvements found by this study provides evidence to support the research question. Furthermore, the data collected about the mental health improvements, such as the decreased wandering, sleeplessness, and the increased sociability, adds

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

The second target market Lillian’s Garden is wanting to attract are individuals with Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. These individuals do not have the capability to completely care for themselves. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, signs of early onset Alzheimer’s occur in a person between the ages 40-50 (“Younger”,n.d.). These individuals are needing assistance with their ADLs, medication management, some supervision because of forgetfulness. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s these individuals will need constant supervision because of wandering, along with medication management as well as help with maintaining social relationships.

There are many benefits to recipients of In Home Care services beyond the obvious assistance with daily living tasks. One recent study has shown a reduced risk of depression in elderly

The program that will be evaluated is a closed ten-week psychotherapy group focused on increasing support and connection around the aging process. Several topics will be discussed during this ten-week period. These include: increasing

A Zen Garden is also known as a rock garden or dry landscape garden. The garden contains a miniature sized landscape with carefully placed rocks, water features, moss, trees, and bushes. Gravel or sand is placed at the bottom of a box with a wall around it. They were first built and used in 529 A.C. The classical zen gardens were built at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto during the Muromachi period. They were to show the essence of nature and not its actual appearance. Zen Gardens also served as a helpful aid to meditation about the true meaning of life. They are usually built where a river or stream is not present. Gardens are usually built around a landmark and have great meaning to them. For example, Tōfuku-ji temple in Kyoto, one of the oldest temples in the city, had four gardens built around it. The creator of the garden made one with five grass colored hills symbolizing the five great ancient temples of Japan.

As people age they develop many special needs related to the later period of life. Many elderly people have specific physical needs where adaptations to their home are necessary or where they need specific equipment for self care. Old age also brings new emotional challenges for the elderly person when the family can be useful in helping to meet the persons mental health needs. Senior citizens experience needs in their social life; they also experience the need for activities with other seniors. Health needs also negatively affect the elderly and cause multiple physical problems. Every elderly person experiences needs that are related to each of these areas.

Audience Hook: Increasing community gardens and green spaces in urban areas can help decrease crime in some neighborhoods, revitalize neglected industrial areas and create healthy, livable neighborhoods (Kuo & Sullivan, 2001). Increasing trees in urban areas has been shown to lower asthma rates in resident