Program Description
The Fox Moon Farm Project and Lakewood Retirement Community have partnered to help improve the lives of those affected by Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Working together, we have launched a one-year long program to bring residents in the Lakewood Memory Care unit struggling with Dementia and Alzheimer’s to the Fox Moon Farm to join our Equine Elders program. Residents will participate in a combination of equine therapies, guided interactions with our horses and other activities, to increase self-awareness, confidence, reduce anxiety and stress.
Participants in our Equine Elders program will meet once a week for two hours at the farm. Here, they will each work with their own horse, establishing a unique emotional relationship. This establishment of a trusting bond between participants and their horse will develop a sense of connection and empathy, fostering emotional regulation, stress reduction, and improved self-awareness.
Participants will learn basic horsemanship skills, like how to groom, halter and lead their horse, in addition to other fun horse related activities like horse painting, making horse treats and more. These activities not only stimulate the brain, but also provide self-worth and increase self-confidence. Just like horses who live in the present tense, highly attuned to their surroundings, participants will also engage in a mindfulness/breathwork practice, learning to release stress, energy and being in the present moment.
They will also participate in other farm related activities like gardening, feeding the chickens, playing with the baby goats and helping with barn chores. Each activity is designed to stimulate the brain, calm the nervous system and stimulate neural pathways involved in decision-making, spatial awareness, and executive function.
Benefits
- Learn to be in the moment.
- Stimulate cognition.
- Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
- Help release emotions such as fear, grief and negativity.
- Help regulate emotions.
- Help stimulate memory and speech.
- Get physical exercise.
- Gain clarity and adjust patterns.
- Gain increased trust and self-confidence.
- Strengthen communication and relationships.
Interacting with horses in a serene outdoor environment can significantly reduce stress levels. The practice of rhythmic grooming and mindful breathing with horses induces a calming effect on the nervous system, lowering cortisol levels and promoting relaxation. Chronic stress is detrimental to brain health, contributing to cognitive decline and other health challenges.
Research Study Information
We will be using data taken from THE COHEN-MANSFIELD AGITATION INVENTORY (CMAI) to assess levels of agitation in our participants for two weeks prior to starting the Equine Elders program. We will then reassess using CMAI at the six-month mark and then again, once the program is complete, at 12 months. We are working with Dr. Maureen Matthews, a Professor from the Department of Psychology out of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), who is conducting the research design and data analysis. We will use a pre/mid/post test design with standardized measures of behavior, stress, mood and social support.
In addition, data will be gathered after each weekly session, measuring stress, happiness, confidence and emotional regulation. At the end of the year program, we will aggregate the data to learn the results of our work. The hope is to prove the effectiveness of equine related therapies and the benefit they serve for adults with Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Research Design Data
Dr. Maureen Mathews is interested in how self-conceptualization interacts with social
cognition and emotion. A specific focus of Mathews’ work compares the psychological
differences between gratitude and indebtedness and how self-awareness affects these
differences. Mathews is also interested in human and animal companion relationships,
specifically how these relationships develop and then affect various psychological
outcomes. Mathews also has experience with undergraduate curriculum development
and assessment, and she loves teaching the history of psychology.
Participants
Staff
Learn more about Lakewood
LifeSpire of Virginia, based in Glen Allen, Virginia, is a not-for-profit organization serving seniors since 1945. The LifeSpire of Virginia family includes five life plan communities—Lakewood in Richmond, The Chesapeake in Newport News, The Culpeper in Culpeper, The Summit in Lynchburg, and The Glebe in Daleville—as well as AgeSmart, a community-based continuing care program. The Virginia Baptist Homes Foundation is the philanthropic arm of LifeSpire and provides support to residents and team members through its four funds—benevolence, crisis, education, and spiritual life. LifeSpire of Virginia serves more than 1,400 residents and employs nearly 1,100 team members. To learn more, visit lifespireliving.org and lakewoodwestend.org.