Spominčica – Alzheimer Slovenia is participating in the new ERASMUS+ project FLOWER, which focuses on the importance of nature in improving quality of life for older/frail people and hoping to delay or slow down the progression of dementia, in this population. The Erasmus+ project brings together the lead partner Stichting Gouden Dagen from the Netherlands and partners from Spain, Italy and Slovenia. There is strong evidence that being connected to nature has significant benefits for older people, including increased vitality, improved mental health and cognitive abilities, more social interactions and greater life satisfaction. However, many older people, including those with physical disabilities or dementia, spend most of their time indoors, which limits their connection to nature. FLOWER aims to encourage them to spend more time in nature to improve their wellbeing, health and social inclusion.
The project focuses on strengthening the nature-related competences of older people, their families and friends, and provides them with the opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills and activities related to nature. The project will provide guided activities and workshops in nature for older/frail individuals and their informal caregivers and will produce a set of online learning resources with video, audio and other tools (workbooks, cards, games, etc.) specifically designed for this population; facts about the benefits for them of being outside in nature, with tips and tricks to enjoy nature in an accessible way; creative and meaningful activities that can be done together in nature, stimulating the senses and fostering social cohesion between generations. In the last month, Spominčica and the other project partners have completed a state-of-the-art analysis and gathered best practices on nature-related activities for older/frail people and their carers.
These practices aim to foster increased social inclusion, enhanced well-being, and improved health within the community. In alignment with the project’s commitment to environmental care, the partners have thoroughly examined and documented the best practices on teaching “green skills” and other nature-related competences. Going full steam ahead, they are setting up innovative co-design and co-creation methods to ensure that their activities resources are tailored to the specific needs and wishes of older/frail people and their informal caregivers. https://flowerproject.eu