Characteristics and Effects of Outdoor Activities on People Living with a Major Neurocognitive Disorder: A Scoping Review

ObjectivesConsidering the lack of cure for MNCD, this article focuses on non-pharmacological interventions such as outdoor activities, their characteristics and their effects on behaviors, symptoms, quality of life, autonomy and cognitive functioning.BackgroundPeople living with major neurocognitive disorders (MNCD) may experience reactive behaviors, symptoms, decreased autonomy, quality of life and cognitive functioning. There is currently no treatment that can reverse or halt the cognitive decline resulting from MNCD.MethodsA scoping review was conducted using the method of Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and following PRISMA guidelines. AgeLine, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL Plus with Full Text and MEDLINE were used to conduct the literature search.ResultsMost outdoor activities identified in this study were: activities carried out in a garden (n=5); activities involving active participation (n=14); activities offering the possibility of being carried out in a group or individually (n=6); activities lasting less than an hour (n=7); and activities taking place in the participants' place of residence (n=13). Most of studies showed that outdoor activities were associated with positive impacts on overall mood (n=12). Several studies reported reduced agitation (n=7), improved cognitive functioning (n=5) and increased well-being (n=5) in participants undertaking various outdoor activities.ConclusionsOutdoor activities and the associated freedom to make decisions led to a range of benefits in the five categories that were studied. These benefits apply whether the activities are carried out in a group or individually, whether they are active or inactive, and whether they take place close to home. Future research would be relevant to specify the characteristics of the activities to be performed according to the desired benefits.