Living through Landscapes (v1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Living through Landscapes: an evaluation of a garden redesign project for people living with dementia.
IRAS ID
200502
Contact name
Hannah Swift
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Kent
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Most dementia care settings have an outside space but many are underused because they are unsafe or because providers lack the confidence and resources to optimise use. The Living through Landscapes project has received support from Big Lottery Fund to a) improve and transform the outside spaces of 30 care settings across the UK to make them suitable for people living with dementia, and b) deliver training and resources to staff and management teams to promote the beneficial impact of regular and frequent access to the natural environment. This research study, named the Garden Project Evaluation, has been commissioned to inform and evaluate the impact of the Living through Landscapes project on the people working in and using the day-care services.
The Garden Project Evaluation will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to inform the design of the new outside spaces and to assess the impact of the changes to the space. The research will consult with staff, family members and people living with dementia for their views on the current outside space and how it could be improved in focus groups and one-to-one interviews before the changes to the outside space.
The Garden Project Evaluation will also assess whether the functionality and use of the outside spaces have improved and the extent to which the Living through Landscapes project benefits the health and wellbeing of the people who engage with the outside space. At each location in England and Wales part of the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM), which refers to outside environments, will be completed to assess the functionality of the space. Quality of life assessments will be either completed by people living with dementia, a member of staff or their carer. Informal / unpaid carers also have the opportunity to complete a quality of life assessment for themselves. All measures will be completed before and after the garden re-design and will inform the evaluation of the Living through Landscapes project.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
16/IEC08/0016
Date of REC Opinion
16 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion