The effect of tea ceremony to reduce stress for older people living with dementia and their caregivers

Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and Japan are both experiencing with the rapid growth of ageing populations, leading to significant health, societal, and economic challenges. Aged residential care facilities (ARCs) are essential for providing comprehensive health care, companionship, and safety for older people living with dementia (OPWD). However, ARCs face numerous challenges in delivering optimal care, including the unmet needs of care, such as residents’ loneliness and limited capacity and resources. Furthermore, nursing staff report high levels of stress and burnout in responding to responsive reactive behaviour of OPWD without effective training or support, leading to high turnover and workforce shortages. Our project addresses the urgent need to support both OPWD and carers. Evidence shows that greenspace exposure, Matcha consumption (green tea), and engaging in tea ceremonies can enhance physical, social, mental, and spiritual well-being. Our novel project brings these interventions together to support OPWD and carers’ well-being, through shared tea ceremonies, involving matcha intake and mindfulness of viewing greenspace such as a flower arrangement (ikebana) or Bonsai (a miniature tree)2. We will explore opportunities and challenges to undertaking this novel intervention in Japan and NZ. By exploring the existed literature of mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress of OPWD and their caregivers, we will define how tea ceremony can be a potential mindfulness-based intervention for them as a dyadic application.