Care home residents with dementia go on sensory woodland walks in new innovative project

The Woodland Trust and Barchester Healthcare are giving care home residents with dementia a chance to connect with nature and go on organised sensory woodland walks.

The UK's leading woodland conservation charity, the Woodland Trust, and care provider Barchester Healthcare, have launched the initiative which is thought to be a first in the care sector, to improve residents’ physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Dementia affects over 80 per cent of people living in care homes in Britain, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

More than 60 Barchester staff from care homes across the UK, will be trained by the Woodland Trust’s VisitWoods partner, Dementia Adventure, a social enterprise, to support them to guide residents and their families in their local woods.

Gayle Wharton, VisitWoods project manager, hopes the project will have a big impact on residents. He said: “Woodland visits enable many visitors with dementia to immerse themselves in nature and often their dementia becomes less of a focus when in this environment. The research conducted with several groups so far shows a clear improvement in participants’ physical, mental and social wellbeing.”

Jim Marr, director of care and quality at Barchester Healthcare, is “delighted to be partnering with the Woodland Trust as we know the woodland offers health benefits to people of all ages and we are keen to encourage more for older people and those with dementia not to miss out.

“Several of our activities co-ordinators and carers will receive training to support residents with dementia to get the most out of exploring their local woodland. We believe many of these individuals will really respond to the sensory woodland experience and enjoy outings in our wonderful green spaces.”

The project will also provide resources such as nature swatches to identify different species of trees, flowers and insects. Discussion with residents about the woodland will support reminiscence work Barchester does with residents with dementia, and research will be gathered along the way to help to quantify what many people instinctively feel about the health benefits of connecting with nature.

Nearly half of Barchester’s 200 care homes provide person-centred dementia services, within their Memory Lane Communities. The Trust’s VisitWoods team has worked in partnership with Dementia Adventure CIC, to carry out several pilot projects over the last two years, taking residents from care homes on woodland visits.