Into the wild: how living labs are being used to connect people with dementia to nature-a mini review.

With the global rise in dementia diagnoses and no available cure, there is an urgent need for accessible, enjoyable, and holistic interventions that support people experiencing dementia to live well. Nature engagement has been shown to offer wide-ranging benefits, including improved mental health, physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and social connection, but many people with dementia face barriers to accessing natural environments due to mobility challenges, cognitive changes, poor environmental design, and dementia-related stigma. Innovative approaches are needed to make nature more accessible and meaningful for this population. One promising solution is the use of living labs: real-world, user-centred environments where researchers, service providers, people with dementia, and care partners can co-create and test solutions. Living labs are grounded in principles of collaboration, inclusivity, and continuous feedback, and they offer a dynamic space for innovation tailored to the living experiences of those involved. Living labs have been applied in dementia care research, although much of this work has focused on indoor settings, technological tools, and aged care systems. How living labs have been used to help people living with dementia access the outdoors and connect with nature is an underexplored area, but one which holds exciting potential to improve the lives of people with dementia. This mini review summarises the available academic literature examining the nexus between living labs, nature, and dementia and offers suggestions for future work in this area.