| Abstract: | Background
A patient with dementia often uses drugs and being limited their freedom due to the care needs. However, their daily living activity was influenced by drug adverse effect; otherwise, restrict their freedom will induce their misconduct behavior that causes by unstable emotion, these situations make patients and caregivers physically and mentally exhausted. Horticulture is an alternative therapy without using medications. Horticulture can relax mental stress, rehabilitating spirit by exposure to the natural environment, touching and make use of horticultural materials. But whether horticulture suitable for dementia patients cares? This study is conducted systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling the results of horticulture in dementia to verify the effect of horticulture in dementia.
Objective
Investigate the effect of horticulture in maintaining dementia patients’ physical function, emotion, and quality of life.
Search methods
This study uses systematic review and meta-analysis. The electric database “Pubmed” was searched up to October 15, 2016. The inclusion criteria are 1. English article on published; 2. elder with dementia. The exclusion criteria are 1. patients who confined to bed and unable to join the activities. The study inclusion criteria did not restrict the study design and types of horticulture.
Conclusions
Horticulture can help patients maintain physical function, improve sleep quality, decrease agitated behavior, drug use and falls, increase positive emotion, quality of life and happiness.
Recommendation
First, set up green space that suitable for patients with dementia. Planning individual horticulture program in accordance with their ability and requirement. Improving patient’s happiness and reduce caregiver burden.
Second, the supply of preschool education resources transferred to dementia care, counseling kindergarten to set up horticultural treatment sites, and training of young teachers to become a professional gardening therapist, in order to respond to the impact of fewer children and dementia. |
