The influence of social interactions on mood in residents with dementia in green care farms: An observational study using ecological momentary assessments

BACKGROUND: Social connections are important for the quality of life of individuals living with dementia. As dementia progresses, maintaining these connections becomes challenging: especially in nursing homes, social interactions are often reduced. Small-scale, homelike environments such as green care farms (GCFs) may provide opportunities to facilitate social interactions. However, research on the characteristics of social interactions and their effects on mood is limited in these settings. This paper explored social interactions and their impact on mood over time in individuals with dementia living in GCFs. METHODS: This observational study used ecological momentary assessments to gather repeated measurement data on individuals' experiences in everyday environments. The data were collected for a total of 151 residents living at four GCFs in the Netherlands. The residents' social interactions and mood were assessed using the Maastricht Electronic Daily Life Observation Tool (n = 4868 observations). RESULTS: Social interactions occurred in less than half of the observations, indicating that residents spent the other half of their day without social interactions. The most common interactions included one resident and another person (e.g., staff members or other residents); these interactions were primarily positive. Overall, having social interactions was significantly related to a higher mood. However, social interactions did not have a significant effect on subsequent mood. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of social interactions for residents' mood. Long-term care organizations should facilitate opportunities for meaningful social interaction to support the immediate mood and thus the well-being of residents with dementia.