Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine (1) the feasibility of the study procedures (i.e. recruitment, retention, attendance, and assessment completion rates), and (2) the effects of horticultural therapy (HT) on apathy, cognitive ability, quality of life, and functional capacity.

Methods: This was a parallel-group, match-paired, randomized controlled trial. Thirty-two participants were allocated to either the experimental or the control group. Data were collected at baseline (T0), immediately postintervention (T1), and 3 months postintervention (T2). The Apathy Evaluation Scale-informant version (AES-I); Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s disease (QoL-AD) scale; Barthel index (BI) were used to measure apathy, cognitive ability, quality of life, and functional capacity, respectively.

Results: The recruitment, retention, attendance and assessment completion rates were 22.7%, 87.5%, 100% and 100%, respectively. The between-group differences in AES-I (p = 0.007) and MMSE (p = 0.034) scores were statistically significant at T1. In the experimental group, the AES-I (p = 0.001), MMSE (p = 0.010), and QoL-AD (p = 0.017) scores were significantly different over time. In the post hoc pair-wise analysis, the AES-I scores of the experimental group observed at T1 were significantly lower than that at T0 (p = 0.032). In the control group, the MMSE scores (p = 0.001) were significantly different over time.

Conclusion: HT is feasible for residents with dementia and apathy. The HT program effectively reduced apathy and promoted cognitive function, but its effects on quality of life and functional capacity were not observed.

摘要

目的：本研究旨在检验 (1) 研究程序的可行性（即招募、保留、出席和评估完成率），以及 (2) 园艺疗法 (HT) 对冷漠、认知能力、质量的影响。生命和功能能力。

方法：这是一项平行组、配对、随机对照试验。三十二名参与者被分配到实验组或对照组。在基线 (T0)、干预后立即 (T1) 和干预后 3 个月 (T2) 收集数据。冷漠评估量表信息版（AES-I）；简易精神状态检查（MMSE）；阿尔茨海默病生活质量 (QoL-AD) 量表；Barthel 指数 (BI) 分别用于衡量冷漠、认知能力、生活质量和功能能力。

结果：录用率、留用率、出勤率和考核完成率分别为22.7%、87.5%、100%和100%。AES-I ( p  = 0.007) 和 MMSE ( p  = 0.034) 评分的组间差异在 T1 时具有统计学意义。在实验组中，AES-I ( p  = 0.001)、MMSE ( p  = 0.010) 和 QoL-AD ( p  = 0.017) 得分随时间有显着差异。在事后成对分析中，在T1观察到的实验组的AES-I分数显着低于T0（ p  = 0.032）。在对照组中，MMSE 评分 ( p  = 0.001) 随时间显着不同。

结论： HT对于痴呆和冷漠的居民是可行的。HT 计划有效地减少了冷漠并促进了认知功能，但未观察到其对生活质量和功能能力的影响。