Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging
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Not just a round of golf: The co-creation of an inclusive golf program and participants’ experiences and program outcomes
Individuals with dementia and their care partners often experience barriers to being physically active and socially connected, both of which are important for well-being. To help address these barriers, the City of Calgary developed Fore! The Love of Golf, a golf program for people with dementia and their care partners to participate in together. A research team from UCalgary, led by Dr. Meghan McDonough in the Faculty of Kinesiology, studied the co-creation of the golf program, participants’ experiences, and program outcomes.
Many participants with dementia felt empowered by the opportunity to golf again and enjoyed connecting with others they could relate to. While some felt nervous about their golf skills or experienced challenges when the program did not fully align with their needs or goals, they still described the overall experience as very positive.
Care partners found that support from staff and volunteers helped create a safe, welcoming environment and offered a much-needed break from some of their caregiving responsibilities. They also received emotional support through meaningful social connections, and found validation and insight by seeing how others navigated similar dementia-related challenges.
Most participants were retired and all were straight couples, where the husband exhibited moderate cognitive impairments and the wife had a relatively high level of caregiving responsibility. This suggests the program may have been particularly attractive to those with moderate levels of dementia.
Informed by insights from this research, the City of Calgary developed a toolkit for recreational programs for individuals with dementia. They also expanded their program offerings for people with dementia to include gentle fitness and yoga classes, in addition to continuing their golf program.
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