HABRI Central

People living with dementia are at risk for decreased quality of life (QoL). QoL may be supported through adaptive riding and horsemanship activities and adaptive gardening, two nature-based interventions; yet, they require further scientific advancement. This dissertation sought to scientifically advance adaptive riding and adaptive gardening for people with dementia. Study one, a mixed methods descriptive case study, addressed the development of an adaptive riding intervention and resulted in a logic model linking its purpose, assumptions, components, occupational opportunities, and immediate outcomes of QoL for participants with dementia. Study two, a quantitative case study compared adaptive riding and adaptive gardening, targeted development and piloting, and revealed that both supported participants' emotional well-being and participation, two dimensions of QoL, with significantly longer durations of complex participation observed during adaptive riding. Study one provided the first published logic model for a nature-based intervention involving animals, whereas study two served as the first nature comparison for this population. Both interventions were scientifically advanced from development to piloting and described in-depth to inform future replication. Next, care partners' perceptions should be explored. The novel observational approach applied in both studies may be helpful to describe other nature-based interventions, and may also contribute to occupational science with a method for situating occupations in the here and now.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

1. Alternative treatments
2. Alzheimer disease
3. Animal-assisted interventions
4. Equine-assisted activities
5. Gerontology
6. Horticulture
7. Occupational Therapy
8. open access
9. Quality of life