Research shows gardening preserves cognitive function, helping you live well for longer. Now, dementia patients are reaping the benefits with "care farms" prescriptions.

研究显示，园艺能帮助维持认知能力，有助于人们健康长寿。如今，痴呆症患者正通过 “关怀农场” 处方获益。

Marianne Rogstad worked as a hotel clerk in Switzerland for five decades, where she spent her days immersed in new languages and cultures. But when Rogstad returned to Norway, she was diagnosed with dementia. She soon became isolated and lost those sources of stimulation. That was until she joined Impulssenter — a small "care farm" outside of Oslo.

玛丽安·罗斯塔德在瑞士做了五十年酒店职员，工作中她终日沉浸于各种语言与文化之中。然而，当她回到挪威后，被诊断患有痴呆症，她很快变得孤立，失去了原有的刺激来源。直到她加入奥斯陆郊外的小型“关怀农场”——Impulssenter，这一状况才得以改变。

In 2015, Norway became one of the first countries to create a national dementia care plan, which includes government-offered daycare services such as care farms.

2015 年，挪威成为全球首批制定国家痴呆症关怀计划的国家之一，该计划涵盖政府提供的日间照护服务，关怀农场便是其中之一。

New data sheds light on the advantages of spending time gardening.

最新数据进一步说明了园艺活动的诸多好处。

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared the intelligence test scores of participants at age 11 and age 79. The results showed those who spent time gardening showed greater lifetime improvement in their cognitive ability than those who never or rarely did.

爱丁堡大学的研究团队开展了一项开创性研究，对比了参与者 11 岁与 79 岁时的智力测试分数。结果显示，长期从事园艺活动的人，其一生中认知能力的提升幅度显著高于从未或极少接触园艺的人。

"Engaging in gardening projects, learning about plants and general garden upkeep involves complex cognitive processes such as memory and executive function, " said Janie Corley, the study's lead researcher.

该研究的首席研究员贾妮·科利表示：“参与园艺项目、了解植物以及日常园艺维护，涉及记忆、执行功能等复杂认知过程。”

Gardening can help people to develop greater hand dexterity, muscle mass and aerobic endurance, as well as promoting increased mobility. Still, for people who already have dementia, research suggests these benefits hold extra value, improving mood, behaviour, ability to communicate and function more than other activities.

园艺活动不仅能增强手部灵活性、肌肉量和有氧耐力，还能提升身体活动能力。对于已经患有痴呆症的人群而言，研究显示这些益处具有特殊价值——相比其他活动，园艺更能改善情绪状态、行为模式，提升沟通能力及日常生活能力。

Rogstad now spends three days per week at the care farm — planting vegetables, feeding cows and tending to chickens — and appreciates the simplicity of the work. "It's nice to be out here in nature. It's much better than sitting at home."

如今，罗斯塔德每周三天待在关怀农场——种种蔬菜、喂喂奶牛、照顾小鸡——她很享受这份劳作的简单纯粹。“身处大自然的感觉很好。比待在家里好多了。”