The elderly patients living with dementia get admitted frequently to hospitals for a variety of medical, functional and psychosocial problems. Taking care of these vulnerable adults is challenging as they have higher care needs and miscommunication often occur resulting in unmet needs which causes frustrations for both patients and care team. Contact with nature is increasingly studied as an effective method to manage stress.
The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic gardens in an acute hospital ward as an additional option to the standard therapy available for patients. A qualitative approach explored the ward staffs’ experience in using the gardens as a therapeutic modality for the elderly patients in the dementia ward in a teaching hospital in Singapore.
The presence of therapeutic gardens in an acute hospital ward was associated with reduction in ward staff’s stress, improvement in patients’ mood and behavioural symptoms. The patients, expressed respite from their discomfort and worries while they enjoy the view of the gardens from their beds, enjoy open air dining with their families/ fellow patients and have their therapy conducted in the gardens. The plants and miniature gardens provide a refreshing break from the dull and sterile hospital environment. Therapies aiming to get patients engaged physically, cognitively and socially should be the norm to prevent risks of cognitive and functional decline during hospitalisation, and if the therapies are conducted in the open air surrounded by green spaces, benefits may be additive.