Increasing engagement in a home for the elderly by providing an indoor gardening activity

doi:10.1016/0005-7967(79)90021-4

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Volume 17, Issue 2, 1979, Pages 127-135

https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(79)90021-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

This project investigated the effect of a new recreational activity on the generally low level of engagement of residents in two lounges of a Local Authority home for the elderly physically frail. Indoor gardening sessions open to all residents were held on one afternoon each week in the dining room of the home. In the setting-up phase a researcher ran the gardening sessions, developed a set of written instructions on how to organize the activity and used these. plus performance feedback, to train a volunteer to run the sessions. The experimental phase evaluated the residents' level of engagement during the weekly gardening sessions and on another afternoon each week when there were no planned recreational activities. The results show that indoor gardening was very successful in producing sustained activity by the residents attending and that engagement of the residents was significantly higher on gardening than on non-gardening days.

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Increasing engagement in a home for the elderly by providing an indoor gardening activity

Abstract

Behav. Res. Ther.

The Voluntary Worker in the Social Services

Increasing participation in social interaction of the institutionalised elderly

The Geront.

New Deal for the Elderly

Simple physical activities for the elderly

Hospital Commun. Psychiat.

Housing for Old People: A Consultation Paper

Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services

More able to manage

New Society

An investigation of activity patterns and adjustment in an aging population

The Geront.

An attempt to assess a new design in residential homes for the elderly

Br. Social Work