원예치료가 시설 치매노인의 일상생활수행능력과 손기능에 미치는 영향

Effect of Horticultural Therapy on the Activities of Daily Living and Hand Function of Institutionalized Demented Elders

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of horticultural therapy program on daily activities and hand function of the institutionalized dementia elders. The test group went through 22 two-hour sessions of horticultural therapy program twice a week from 13 March 2008 to 24 May 2008. The horticultural therapy program comprised of activities that require various easy hand movements, in order to improve the patients’ hand functions. For the control group, the ability to perform daily activities dropped from 14.7 to 13.7 after going through the program but there was no significance of results(p=0.294). In the case of the test group, it increased by 1.6 from 14.1 to 15.7 after the program, with some significance of results(p=0.05). For the strength of the grip of hands, the control group dropped from 5.75kg to 5.43kg after the program but there was no significance of results(p=0.657). That of the test group, in contrast, improved tremendously from 4.83kg to 8.38kg after the program with some significance of results(p=0.001) With regards to the strength of the pinch of the fingers, the control group improved from 4.01kg to 4.11kg but there was no significant change(p=0.811). However, the test group greatly improved from 4.83kg to 8.38kg after the program with some significance of results(p=0.001). The above results proved that a horticultural therapy program which is easy to follow for aged dementia patients and is suitable in training hand functions, is effective in improving not only the patients’ ability to perform daily activities but also the maintenance and enhancement of their hand functions.