A bad day outside is better than a good day inside: Findings from an outdoor nature-based co-designed project for people living with dementia and their care partners

This paper shares the findings from a one-year, codesigned, outdoor, nature-based project in Ontario, Canada. Twenty-two people were recruited and 16 participated − 7 community-dwelling adults living with dementia and 9 current or former care partners, or supporters e.g., friend, or relative participated in nine monthly (April–December 2024), 2-hour outdoor nature-based group sessions. Prior to the sessions, individual and dyad interviews were conducted to understand participants’ motivations and expectations of the project. During each session data were collected through mood questionnaires and fieldnotes from ethnographic-style participant observations. After the final session, interviews were held to explore participants’ experiences. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis. Primary thematic areas included: motivations for joining an outdoor and nature-based group; sense of wellbeing encompassing social, physical and mental health; navigating barriers to participation. The outdoor, nature-based sessions had many wellbeing benefits for participants. This work contributes to the evidence base on codesign approaches to research with people living with dementia. Findings highlight the importance for people living with dementia and for research design, of incorporating the perspectives of individuals living with dementia and their care partners/supporters, to achieve inclusive and meaningful research and practice.