GREEN CARE FARMS AS NURSING HOMES: QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

摘要

Dementia care models increasingly develop towards small-scale homelike environments aiming to provide person-centered care by enhancing residents’ autonomy, social interaction and participation in activities. Green care farms (GCF’s) as nursing homes combine agricultural with care activities. This study compared residents (N=115) living in GCF’s with other nursing homes (large- and small scale) on several person-centered measures at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Questionnaires and ecological momentary assessments (16.860 observations) were conducted, assessing quality of life (QoL), affect, behavior and environmental factors. No differences were found between groups on overall QoL scores. Residents at GCF’s scored higher than residents of traditional nursing homes on positive affect (p<.05). Furthermore, residents of GCF’s had more positive social interactions during their days than residents of traditional nursing homes (p<.05), indicating that social interaction is more integrated in daily care practices at GCFs. Our results suggest that GCFs are a valuable addition to long-term care.