Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Calgary

Code:

NCT05527587

Conditions

Mild Dementia

Moderate Dementia

Alzheimer Disease

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Nature Connections Intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

The overall goals of our project is to understand the effects of participating in park visits and nature-based activities for people living with dementia and their caregivers. Nature-based activities such as park visits can have beneficial effects on quality of life, psychological symptoms and physical health. However, there may be barriers for people with dementia and their caregivers that may prevent them from engaging in park visits. The Nature Connections park visit program will provide education sessions for 10 persons living with dementia and 10 caregivers highlighting the beneficial effects of park visits and address common barriers to participating in park visits. Following the education session participants will be provided with weekly telephone/internet support meetings for participants to share their experiences with park visits and to address any challenges individuals encountered when trying to complete their visits. The impact of park visits on quality of life, behaviours, and measures of stress for people with dementia and their caregivers will be assessed over 8 weeks. Following completion of the program participants will provide an evaluation of the program to understand their experience and satisfaction with the program. This project will provide new information about the effects of park visits as a practical strategy to improve the quality of life, psychological symptoms and measures of stress for both people with dementia and caregivers.

Conditions

Mild Dementia

Moderate Dementia

Alzheimer Disease

Study ID

NCT05527587

Start date

Nov 1, 2022

Status verified date

Aug, 2023

Completion date

Dec 31, 2024

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 30, 2024

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female participants who are 65 years or older
  • PLWD who meet Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5 for major neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer's disease
  • Individuals with mild to moderate dementia as assessed on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) corresponding to scores of 12-25 on the 12-item assessment or 10-18 on the 9-item telephone MoCA assessment
  • Participants who currently participate in less than 2 hours of outdoor activities weekly using the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire
  • Caregivers who spend at least 2 hours per week with PLWD
  • Participants that are able to mobilize independently or with assistive devices and have the ability access local parks either independently or with the assistance of caregivers.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants with unstable conditions that prevent outdoor activities
  • Patients residing in long-term care or nursing homes
  • Individuals with AD who have no access to a caregiver
  • Participants with limited mobility that prevents outdoor activities
  • Participants who do not have adequate comprehension and verbal communication in English necessary to participate in measurement of outcomes.

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Nature Connections Group

Participants will be screened to confirm their eligibility to partake in the study. Participants who meet the study criteria will then be invited to participate in the nature connections intervention. At the start of the intervention, mid-intervention and post intervention, participants will be invited to participate in assessments of their behaviour and mood symptoms, cognition, quality of life, caregiver burden and stress levels using different measures and questionnaires at the University of Calgary. Participants will be provided with a visit passport to record a log of activities completed during the park visits.

Interventions

Nature Connections Intervention

10 PLWD and their 10 caregivers will be examined for the effects of a park visit program on their behaviour and mood symptoms, cognition, and quality of life over the period of 8-weeks. If participants meet the study criteria, an initial education session on the health benefits of nature will be provided to the them. Participants will then be invited to participate in the park visit program which will have them visiting local parks or outdoors spaces with their caregivers. They will be encouraged to allocate approximately 120 minutes each week to outdoor park activities for 8 weeks. Participants will be provided with a visit passport to record a log of activities completed during the park visits. During the 8 weeks of intervention, participants will also participate in a weekly check-in meeting with other participants to discuss about their experiences with the park visits.

Primary outcome measure

  • Neuropsychiatric Symptoms [ Time Frame: Change from Baseline Neuropsychiatric Symptoms at 8 weeks (post-intervention) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Dallas P Seitz, MD, PhD

4032106867dallas.seitz@ucalgary.ca

Margaret O Abolarin, BSc

5878897805margaret.abolarin@ucalgary.ca

Locations

Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

Recruiting

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N1N4

Contacts

Dallas P Seitz, MD, PhD

4032106867dallas.seitz@ucalgary.ca

More Information

Sponsor

University of Calgary

Last update posted

May 9, 2024

Last verified

Aug, 2023

Keywords

  • Dementia
  • Nature
  • Outdoor activities
  • Mental health
  • Alzheimer's disease

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Calgary on 2024-05-09.