Everyday use of the garden at home
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Everyday use of the garden at home by people living with dementia: A multi-site remote ethnographic study
IRAS ID
305116
Contact name
Rita Newton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
The aim of this PhD study is to develop a year-round, evidenced-based garden design checklist based on the everyday experiences of people living with dementia and their household in using their garden at home. To date there has been no study that explores this phenomenon.
Over a period of 18 months, up to 15 households (including a person with dementia living at home) will be recruited into the study for a maximum duration of 12 weeks. Throughout the study, all contact and data collection methods will be conducted remotely. To achieve this, each recruited household will access their own technology at home and respond to a series of researcher-led ‘show and tell’ interview prompts. For example, in response to the researcher prompt ‘what is your garden at home like?’ participants may decide to take some photographs of objects in the garden and share these with the researcher via a secure link. This elicitation will form the basis of a subsequent on-line interviews to further develop and elaborate on the activity. Participants will also be encouraged to maintain a diary during their study participation. All data on the study will be analysed via reflexive thematic analysis.
At the end of the time together, the researcher will compile a one-page ‘garden biography’ as a visual reminder about the time together and share this with each household. Working with Care & Repair England and the study participants, the findings will also inform the development of a year-round garden design checklist which will be made available to a wide audience with an interest in improving garden design for people living with dementia.
The PhD is based at the University of Manchester, with co-supervision from Lancaster University and Care & Repair England. The Economic and Social Research Council fund this CASE PhD studentship.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
22/IEC08/0001
Date of REC Opinion
11 Mar 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Unfavourable Opinion