Borella Erika, Melendugno Andrea, Meneghetti Chiara, Murroni Veronica, Carbone Elena, Goldin Giulia, Cavalli Raffaele, Basso Andrea, Pazzaglia Francesca
Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Inter-University Research Center in Environmental Psychology (CIRPA), Rome, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 9;14:1182136. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1182136. eCollection 2023.
One of various non-pharmacological treatments for people with dementia (PwD) is horticultural therapy. The aim of this double-blind, pre- and post-test, pilot study was to examine the effects of horticultural activities (HA) for PwD at a residential and daytime care facility. Whether combining HA with elements drawn from other psychosocial interventions (cognitive stimulation) would maximize any benefits was also newly examined.
Twenty-four PwD were involved either in HA, alone (TG1, = 7) or combined with some cognitive stimulation (TG2, = 8), or in indoor treatment-as-usual activities (CG, = 9). Benefits were assessed in terms of general cognitive functioning (for participants with mild-to-moderate dementia), mood, behavioral and psychological symptoms, and quality of life.
No differences emerged between TG1 and TG2 in any outcome measure, so the two groups were combined ( = 15). Compared with the CG, the TG involved in HA exhibited less frequent and severe behavioral and psychological symptoms and an improved mood after the intervention. Caregivers also reported less distress in the TG after the intervention than in the CG. Considering only PwD with mild-to-moderate dementia, the TG also showed benefits in a measure of general cognitive functioning, and self-reported quality of life, compared with the CG.
Our results further confirm that engaging PwD in participatory HA in contact with natural elements can decrease their dementia symptoms and their caregivers' distress, but also increase PwD's quality of life. Our findings also suggest the need to consider dementia severity when assessing the benefits of horticultural therapy.
园艺疗法是针对痴呆症患者的多种非药物治疗方法之一。这项双盲、前后测试的试点研究旨在检验在寄宿和日间护理机构中，园艺活动对痴呆症患者的影响。同时，还首次研究了将园艺活动与其他心理社会干预（认知刺激）元素相结合是否能使益处最大化。
24名痴呆症患者参与其中，他们要么单独参与园艺活动（TG1，n = 7），要么与一些认知刺激相结合（TG2，n = 8），要么参与常规室内治疗活动（CG，n = 9）。从一般认知功能（针对轻度至中度痴呆症患者）、情绪、行为和心理症状以及生活质量等方面评估益处。
TG1和TG2在任何结果指标上均未出现差异，因此将两组合并（n = 15）。与CG组相比，参与园艺活动的TG组在干预后行为和心理症状出现的频率更低、程度更轻，情绪得到改善。护理人员也报告称，干预后TG组的痛苦程度低于CG组。仅考虑轻度至中度痴呆症患者，与CG组相比，TG组在一般认知功能和自我报告的生活质量方面也显示出益处。
我们的结果进一步证实，让痴呆症患者参与与自然元素接触的参与式园艺活动可以减轻他们的痴呆症状和护理人员的痛苦，还能提高痴呆症患者的生活质量。我们的研究结果还表明，在评估园艺疗法的益处时需要考虑痴呆症的严重程度。
