EFFECTS OF HORTICULTURE ACTIVITIES ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING TO PARTICIPATION AND COOPERATION IN CASES OF DEMENTIA

S.Y. Park, K. Yamane, Y. Yamaki , S. Takahashi
This case study investigated the effects of horticulture activities on improvement of Activities of Daily Living (ADL), desire to join the horticulture activity and cooperation of elderly adults with dementia. The activity was conducted once a week from June 21, 2005 to January 10, 2006 for a total of 20 times in the S-group home in Utsunomiya, Japan. Subjects were 16 female residents; their average age was 81.3 years. The ADL (ADL for elderly people, Japanese version, 13-item) were measured three times, questionnaires were used to evaluate enthusiasm for the horticulture activities and cooperation during the activities. Additionally, the faces scale was used to assess emotional responses to the activities five times over the seven-month program. Due to methodological limitations, staff served as proxy reporters on the elders’ ADL status, enthusiasm for the activities, and level of cooperation during the activities. ADL was significantly improved, especially intellectual activities. Coopera¬tion significantly increased at the second test and then was maintained. Significant changes were found between pre-horticulture activity and post-horticulture activity in the faces scales in all five surveys. The results suggest that horticulture activities in a group home for elderly adults with dementia may have a beneficial effect on the ADL, expression, and cooperation.
Park, S.Y., Yamane, K., Yamaki , Y. and Takahashi, S. (2008). EFFECTS OF HORTICULTURE ACTIVITIES ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING TO PARTICIPATION AND COOPERATION IN CASES OF DEMENTIA. Acta Hortic. 775, 41-46
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.775.5
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.775.5
elderly adults, group home, horticulture activity
English

Acta Horticulturae