Visits to lakes were popular with people with dementia
Walking and outdoor activities should be encouraged for people who have dementia, a report published today said.
The benefits of the great outdoors to those who have the condition are outlined in the research published by Natural England.
But more should be done to help them access the benefits of trips into the natural environment, according to the report, compiled by the Westminster Government’s advisory body for the outdoors in England, Dementia Adventure, the Mental Health Foundation and Innovations in Dementia.
In one of the biggest surveys of its kind so far, people living with dementia and their carers were asked about the outdoor activities they take part in and the places where they go, or most want to go. It reveals what motivates them to go outside and what barriers they think need to be overcome to improve their access to the outdoors and maximise the beneficial effect this brings for them.
Only 20 per cent of the people living with dementia considered their condition was a barrier to using outdoor spaces, whereas 83 per cent of carers believed that dementia limited the person’s ability.
The report reveals that engaging in outdoor activities that have a purpose, and those that involve being with other people, provide the greatest motivation for people living with dementia.
Dementia directly affects about 800,000 people and a further 670,000 carers. Costs to the health service, local government and families are currently around £23bn, and estimates suggest this may treble by 2040. With an ageing population the number of people living with dementia in the UK is estimated to double in the next 30 years.
Jim Burt, principal adviser for Natural England’s Outdoors for All programme said: “There is already strong evidence to show the positive benefits of engagement with the natural environment for people living with dementia and this survey adds to that body of evidence.
“Importantly, it heard directly from both those living with dementia and their carers, and the research has revealed important new information and insights. This work will now help our partners and the wider health community to take action that will enable people with dementia to have more and better quality opportunities to be active in the great outdoors.”
The study, Is it nice outside? Consulting people living with dementia and carers about engaging with the natural environment, found wildlife- or bird-watching is one of the most popular activities for people living with dementia and 25 per cent of the people with dementia who were interviewed said that they took part several times a week or every day.
Informal walking outdoors was the most frequently cited activity, with 38 per cent undertaking it, and was also seen as vitally important by carers for its beneficial effect.
The most popular – 45 per cent – places to visit for people with dementia were associated with water, such as lakes, rivers or the coastline. City parks and public gardens were also popular, at 30 per cent.
The survey found that some local green spaces such as allotments, city farms and community gardens are rarely used by people with dementia.
The top barriers preventing people with dementia from taking part in outdoor activities and having contact with nature were insufficient information about what places have to offer and their suitability for visitors with dementia; inadequate support to get to locations to use facilities and to participate in outdoor activities; not having transport; lack of confidence and fears and safety concerns.
Dementia Adventure managing director Neil Mapes said: “Is it nice outside? For many people living with dementia and their family carers the answer is yes, people want and need to get out into the fresh air, to walk, be near water and watch and listen to the birds.
“The fact that these simple outdoor pleasures are not equally accessible for some of the thousands of families living with dementia is another reminder for us to work across care and conservation boundaries and implement the solutions contained in the report.”
The report makes a series of recommendations that could encourage greater use of natural spaces by people living with dementia and their carers.
For example, managers of outdoor spaces could work with local dementia-action alliances to develop a TripAdvisor-style ratings system to provide information about local dementia-friendly open spaces.
Other recommendations from the report address ways to make visits to green spaces more dementia-friendly through implementing the principles of dementia friendly communities at outdoor sites by: training staff to be dementia aware; improving training on how to sensitively and effectively support people living with dementia; and improving understanding by managers of outdoor spaces of the types of facilities, activities and information that people living with dementia say they need.
Toby Williamson, head of development and later life at the Mental Health Foundation said: “The benefits of outdoor activity for peoples’ wellbeing, whether it’s walking, wildlife watching, or just ‘being in nature’, are well known.
“But concerns about safety and access can mean that many people with dementia do not share in those benefits. The research that the Mental Health Foundation and Innovations in Dementia undertook for Natural England and Dementia Adventure in this report showed that people with dementia, and their families and friends, wanted to continue to visit green spaces, such as parks and rivers, and participate in outdoor activities.
“It identifies simple, practical changes that organisations responsible for green spaces can make to ensure they are dementia accessible and inclusive, so people with dementia and their carers can continue to enjoy being outdoors.”
The findings from this project will now be used to help design a large-scale demonstration project to deliver services in the natural environment for people living with dementia and their carers.
The full report can be downloaded from the Natural England website.
