Extending Active Life for Older People with Cognitive Impairment and their Families through Innovation in the Visitor Economy of the Natural Environment, 2021-2024

ENLIVEN (Extending Active Life for Older People with Cognitive Impairment and their Families through Innovation in the Visitor Economy of the Natural Environment) was a three-year project aiming to make the well-being benefits of nature-based outdoor pursuits more accessible to people living with cognitive impairment (PLWCI) such as dementia. Stakeholder engagement with small businesses, community interest groups/supporter organisations, and people living with cognitive impairment in the community was conducted throughout the project. ENLIVEN comprised four workstreams (WS): WS1, scoping existing provision, accessibility, and preferences of people living with cognitive impairment for nature-based pursuits; WS2, developing new nature-based initiatives for people living with cognitive impairment; WS3, evaluating these initiatives which were either ‘one off’ events or a series; and WS4, knowledge exchange and disseminating learning to businesses. Deposited data is for WS1 and WS3. For WS1, scoping existing provision, accessibility, and preferences of people living with cognitive impairment for nature-based pursuits, 40 qualitative interviews were conducted with businesses, 4 with supporter organisations, 15 with PLWCI, and 15 with family members/carers. For people living with cognitive impairment and their family members, the interview schedule included questions regarding activity preferences (prompted by photographs of nature-based pursuits), accessibility and how this could be improved. For WS3, evaluating the nature-based outdoor pursuits developed during the project, 30 qualitative interviews were conducted with business programme leads including follow up interviews during and after scheduled events. 19 facilitators of individual sessions such as arts educators were also interviewed. 48 qualitative interviews were conducted with PLWCI, all with dementia, or with family members/carers. 6 focus groups were conducted for 2 projects. 12 group organisers who had taken an existing group to take part in an outdoor activity such as from a charity working with older people were also interviewed. Interviews focused on the nature-based visitor experience and evaluating if and how businesses had become more dementia-aware.