An Evaluation of Natural Environment Interventions for Informal Cancer Caregivers in the Community

This document is a review of the current research on how effective natural environment interventions are for supporting informal caregivers of cancer patients. It highlights that caring for cancer patients at home is becoming more common, placing significant emotional and cognitive demands on caregivers, leading to mental exhaustion. Engaging with nature can offer mental health benefits like stress reduction and improved well-being. The review looked at studies on natural environment therapies and their impact on the mental health of cancer caregivers. It found very few studies directly addressing this topic over a 10-year period. The available studies often focused on other aspects, such as program evaluation or exercise, rather than specifically on nature exposure. However, the studies indicated that caregivers experienced positive results. The review suggests a need for more research to explore how nature interventions can support caregivers in the community.

Lehto, R., Wyatt, G., Sender, J., & Miller, S.E. (2021). An evaluation of natural environment interventions for informal cancer caregivers in the community. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11124. Lettieri-Barbato, D., & Aquilano, K. (2018). Pushing the limits o