Demonstrating that it is essential to be sensitive to the cultural backgrounds of people with dementia in order to provide truly person-centred care, this book shows that it is possible to create culturally appropriate outdoor spaces and experiences that resonate with people with dementia on a fundamental level and are a source of comfort and wellbeing. Contributors drawn from a variety of backgrounds describe the significance of nature in the lives of people with dementia from diverse cultures, faiths, traditions and geographical locations, providing helpful insights into how access to the natural world may be achieved within different care settings. There are contributions from the UK (Scottish island, urban North East England and Norfolk farming communities), Canada, Norway, Japan, Australia, Sudan and South Africa, as well as a chapter on the specific difficulty of providing access to nature for people with dementia in hospitals. The voices of people with dementia and their carers are prominent throughout, and the book also contains evocative poetry and photographs of people with dementia enjoying nature and the outdoors in different contexts. A rich source of information and ideas for all those interested in creating culturally appropriate outdoor spaces and experiences for people with dementia, including dementia care practitioners, especially those at managerial level, policy makers, commissioners and those involved in designing and commissioning buildings and services.

Introduction: Why Do We Need to Understand Cultural Differences? 1. A Family's Perspective on Nature and Dementia: Using the Outdoors to Help the Inner Person. Beth Britton. 2. Nature for People with Dementia in Japan: Some Examples of Horticultural Activities in Japanese Care Homes. Hiroko and Yutaka Inoue. 3. Getting Out and About in the British Countryside: Dementia Adventure. Neil Mapes. Poem: On Aran by Patrick Brenchley. 4. Some South African Understandings of Nature. Margaret-Anne Tibbs. 5. Contact with the Natural World within Hospital Care. Sarah Waller and Abigail Masterton. 6. How Norwegian People with Dementia Experience Nature. Sidsel Bjorneby. 7. How People with Dementia Experience Nature in Rural and Island Scottish Communities. Gillean McClean. Poem: Taking to the Hills by Jean Howitt. 8. Digging Up the Roots: Nature and Dementia for First Nation Elders. Wendy Hulko. 9. A Sense of Place: An Anthroposophic Approach. Judith Jones. 10. Nature in the Lives of an Urban Population with Dementia in North East England. Karen Franks and Kate Andrews. 11. Memories of an Urban Childhood with a Nearby Wood. James McKillop MBE. 12. Dementia and Landscapes: Cultural Attitudes Towards Nature. Joan Domicelj. Conclusion: How Do We Make Outside Spaces Familiar and Life Affirming? List of Contributors. References. Index.