Embodied leisure experiences of nature-based activities for people living with dementia
Owen, S; Page, S; Connell, J; et al.Ledingham, K; Price, S; Quinn, C; Victor, C; Clare, L
Date: 2024
Article
Journal
Dementia
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
This paper uses the lens of embodiment to explore how enjoyment of nature and greenspace
contributes to improving, supporting, and maintaining health and well-being for people living with
dementia (Martin et al., 2020; Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018) in their leisure time. Leisure as a
concept has a long history of ...
INTRODUCTION
This paper uses the lens of embodiment to explore how enjoyment of nature and greenspace
contributes to improving, supporting, and maintaining health and well-being for people living with
dementia (Martin et al., 2020; Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018) in their leisure time. Leisure as a
concept has a long history of analysis within social science (Page & Connell, 2010), typically defined
in simple terms as the time left after an individual has fulfilled all of their daily obligations and
duties. The scope and breadth of leisure was defined by Stockdale (1985) who identified three main
ways in which the concept is used:
• as a period of time, activity or state of mind in which choice is the dominant feature;
• an objective view in which leisure is perceived as the opposite of work and is defined as nonwork or residual time;
• a subjective view which emphasises leisure as a qualitative concept in which leisure activities
take on a meaning only within the context of individual perceptions and belief systems and
can therefore occur at any time in any setting (Hall & Page, 2014: 7).
For people living with dementia, conceptualising leisure is slightly more complex because of the
need for care and the time that providing care may take up as a daily necessity whether by an
unpaid family member or friend acting as an informal carer or by a paid care worker. This also has
the potential to alter the social dynamic of the relationship that is perceived to exist between the
person living with dementia and the carer in leisure settings.
In this paper, our emphasis is upon the subjective view of leisure in relation to people living with
dementia, recognising the growing interest in leisure and everyday life (Gray et al., 2024) as well as
the diverse ways in which leisure time experiences are constructed, consumed and mediated
through different social and psychological factors. As Gray et al. (2024) suggest, people living with
dementia each have a unique experience of living with the condition, and by implication, their
everyday experiences of life and dementia are equally individualised and nuanced. For this reason,
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the paper also provides a series of insights on social citizenship and leisure in everyday life with
dementia, because engaging with nature and the outdoors is inherently about how individuals
sustain a sense of place in their world through what they do (Bartlett & O’Connor, 2010) and the
meaning derived therein. As Gray et al. (2024) suggest, these leisure realms that are both spaceand place-related offer freedom for people living with dementia that enhances their well-being. This
is important for the psychological health of people living with dementia in terms of self and identity
(Caddell & Clare, 2013; Clare et al., 2020) as it reflects how individuals create subjective evaluations
of self and identity through the tripartite model of Sabat & Harré (1992). This model is based upon
three components: personal identity, beliefs and attributes, and the personae presented in social
interactions (Clare et al., 2020: 127). Engaging with nature and the outdoors may enhance individual
feelings of self and help people living with dementia to maintain a degree of continuity in their
leisure lives, thereby achieving a sense of phenomenological continuity. In addition, Russell et al.
(2023) argued that social identity was important for people living with dementia as leisure was one
way in which they could be viewed as people rather than being defined by their medical condition.
In this respect, leisure activities and participation have a pivotal role to play in social identity through
the way in which social interactions and their engagement with leisure-oriented places and spaces
can be understood phenomenologically through embodiment and ‘being in the world’ (Russell et al.,
2023: 136).
Management
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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