Living at a green care farm:An innovative alternative for regular care in nursing homes for people with dementia

This dissertation shows that care farms offering 24/7 nursing home care to people with dementia are a useful addition to the current range of nursing homes. More than 16,000 observations were carried out in various types of nursing homes (care farms, small-scale homes, regular departments). These observations showed that people living at care farms are more active, have more social contacts and go outdoors more often compared to people living in regular nursing homes. These factors have an impact on people’s quality of life. No differences were found in the quality of care measured. Informal carers of people living at care farms were more enthusiastic about the physical environment and atmosphere, and the opportunities to carry out activities. In their opinion, care offered by care farms was more personalised than care offered by other types of nursing homes