Silver Saplings Adventures for Older People: a qualitative review and evaluation of intended positive interventional change and wellbeing effects for participants of the programme.

Adams, Nick; MacIver, Emma; Kennedy, Catriona; Douglas, Flora

Abstract

The Silver Saplings Adventures (SSA) programme is a nature-based wellbeing intervention targeting older people, located in Moray, Aberdeenshire and areas of the Highlands. It consists of monthly day trips to outdoor settings, providing opportunities for participants to engage within communities, connect with others, as well as learn about and from their local natural environment. The SSA programme has been purposively designed in this way to promote individual wellbeing, social cohesion and feelings of inclusivity. This report presents a focused, independent evaluation of the SSA programme, based on a sample of 17 participants who engaged with the 12-month programme during its third (and penultimate) cycle, spanning January – December 2023. Evaluating the SSA programme was undertaken to optimise the development and continuation of the programme beyond its current funding, and to inform the transferability of this to other similar programmes and contexts. The primary objective of this evaluation was to assess the SSA programme to ascertain any wellbeing effects on participants, how these effects manifested and the broader ramifications, and to identify what specific aspects of the programme might be responsible for generating these reported effects.

Citation

ADAMS, N., MACIVER, E., KENNEDY, C. and DOUGLAS, F. 2024. Silver Saplings Adventures for Older People: a qualitative review and evaluation of intended positive interventional change and wellbeing effects for participants of the programme. Aberdeen: Robert Gordon University. Hosted on OpenAIR [online]. Available from: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2445905

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Aug 27, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 27, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 27, 2024
• Publisher: Robert Gordon University
• Keywords: Older people; Wellbeing; Scotland
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2445905
• Related Public URLs: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2625924 (Lay Summary); https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2625946 (Infographic)