ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

This study aims to explore how a gardening project with elderly living in Djuröhemmet, a nursing home outside Stockholm, affected them regarding psychological well-being and their experience of participation during the planning and construction of the memory garden. The gardening project is new in its kind by allowing the residents to influence the design of the garden by sharing the project leader their gardening memories from previous parts of their life and by wishing for specific plants and items.  The method being used was qualitative interviews where we interviewed seven people living in Djuröhemmet who participated in all or parts of the project. The theoretical framework is Molins (2004) definition of participation, but also theories of meaningfulness, social needs and gerotranscendence were applied. The results indicate that the participants did not realize that their involvement during the planning helped developed the garden.

This thesis puts together general guidelines for the design of outdoor environment at nursing homes for people with dementia. The goal is to give the residents a greater quality of life with the garden.The garden must be safe and secure while offering places for fellowship or retirement and experiences of joy and competence. The plant material and other elements in the garden are inserted to stimulate the senses and to inspire to different activities. The paper describes the health promoting effects of nature and gardens by referring to scientific studies. These studies encompass the impact of nature on all human beings as well as how the outdoor environment affects our target group, Elderly people with dementia. An essential part of the work focus on the conditions in a garden for people with dementia, on the contact between residence and garden and the access to surrounding life. Eventually, the general guidelines are applied to a real building project ? the Vega project in Lomma,a new nursing home for persons with dementia.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.

ABSTRACT The persons whom the authorized nurse encounters in hospital wards and nursing homes are in great extent elderly persons. According to Wasserman (2000), about 30 to 40 percent among these, show signs of depression. To be aware of the signs of depression, and how an authorized nurse can support the patient is therefore of great value. The introduction to this study describes the symptoms of depression and how depression in elders is expressed. It also describes treatment possibilities and nursing aspects of concern.