People with dementia have different needs, and it is important to have variation in the services that

are offered for this population. Farm-based day care aims to meet this diversity in need, but research

on such services is lacking. The present study provides knowledge about how people with dementia

experience attending farm-based day care services in Norway. Ten semi-structured interviews were

conducted for five different services, while the participants were at the farm. The interviews were

analysed in accordance with the content analysis of Graneheim, U., & Lundman, B. (2004) [Nurse

Education Today, 24(2), 105-112] and revealed three main categories that included (1) social relations,

(2) being occupied at the farm, and (3) individually tailored service. The findings were summarised in

the overall theme that attending day care at a farm makes me feel like a real participant. Our findings

indicate that the farm-based day cares in the present study provide person-centred care. The farm

setting facilitates services that are tailored to the individual, where the participants get to use their

remaining resources and spend time outdoors. Further, farm-based day care was described as being

suitable for people with or without farm experience and must be seen as an important supplement to

regular day care for those who could benefit from a more active service.

Tanja Ibsen, Siren Eriksen