Improving access to social farms for people with dementia, including people from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

This article reports on a recently completed mixed methods project (January 2023 to April 2024) funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Three Schools Dementia Programme.
Background and context for the project
Social farms (also known as care farms and farmbased services) are a relatively new and rapidly expanding form of social care in England. Social farming is defined as the use of commercial farms or agricultural landscapes to provide health (both physical and mental) and social benefits through farming, following a facilitated or structured programme on a regular basis. Research suggests that some people living with dementia value the opportunity to visit a social farm, but work to date has mainly involved younger, married white men. Therefore, we conducted a study that aimed to find out how accessible social farms in England are for people living with dementia, including people from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Research design and methods used
We used a concurrent transformative mixedmethods design. This meant that data were collected at the same time using a combination of methods (survey and interviews). We used Levesque’s conceptual framework for access to healthcare to guide activities.
Key findings
We found a wide variation in access to social farms by people living with dementia. This was due to a range of factors, including a general lack of awareness about social farming amongst health and social care professionals, as well as people living with dementia and their carers. Cultural considerations and socioeconomic factors were found to shape perceived acceptability of the service.
Implications for practice
More consideration needs to be given to the acceptability of social farms for people with dementia from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as many people of this heritage have a farming background, and certain animals have positive meanngs.