Care Outdoors in Practice

After 1.5 years of implementing Care Outdoors, I asked Samantha Kriegshauser, CEO of Adult Enrichment Centers, two questions about her organization's experience.

The Art of Care Outdoors at Adult Enrichment Centers.

After 1.5 years of using Care Outdoors at Adult Enrichment Centers, what has been the greatest benefit for your organization, your team, and the people you support?

"Care Outdoors provided a platform and structure for our team, ensuring time Outdoors had more significance than just 'fresh air.' It taught us to think about how and why Nature-based programming benefitted us and our members, and seeing our members embrace it as something they could do to improve their physical and mental health was huge. No cost to go Outdoors and think, or meditate, or journal, and each individual can decide for themselves how to incorporate that."

Would you recommend Care Outdoors to other organizations? If so, why?

"Yes. Absolutely. We know Nature is good and we know it benefits us, but Care Outdoors provides a deeper level of knowledge around that and builds a structure to ensure it is used consistently to improve the quality of life of our members."

— Samantha Kriegshauser, CEO, Adult Enrichment Centers

Care Outdoors Reviews

Gayle Byck

5 star rating

“I learned so much from Monica and her Care Outdoors program. I loved the course content, connecting with my cohort, and focusing on nature!”

“I learned so much from Monica and her Care Outdoors program. I loved the course content, connecting with my cohort, and focusing on nature!”

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Connie Fluegel

5 star rating

“I strongly encourage EVERYONE to take this class! And, then take ACTION! This course was very well organized, easy to navigate, engaging, well thought out, and provided a wealth of information and resources to continue our learning. Monica also...”

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“I strongly encourage EVERYONE to take this class! And, then take ACTION! This course was very well organized, easy to navigate, engaging, well thought out, and provided a wealth of information and resources to continue our learning. Monica also did an excellent job leading our Online/Live discussions. I would definitely recommend this course to any and all ages that want to learn more about “care outdoors” and how to implement it. A huge thank you to Monica for the work she is doing and for her inspiration to help others learn and do more in the field of eco-gerontology. Connie Fluegel, MA (Business and Adult Education from the University of Minnesota) and TX (Texan) P.S. You’re never to old to learn or to start a new beginning. ”

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Georgene Nitzsche

5 star rating

“What was most meaningful to me about the Care Outdoors Program was discovering a connection to Nature that I have never felt before. As a city dweller, I often move quickly through my days without really noticing the nature around me. This program...”

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“What was most meaningful to me about the Care Outdoors Program was discovering a connection to Nature that I have never felt before. As a city dweller, I often move quickly through my days without really noticing the nature around me. This program encouraged me to slow down and pay attention to the small green spaces woven into my daily routines - many of which were in my own backyard! As an older adult, I appreciated feeling curiosity and presence return in a gentle, natural way. It reminded me that nature isn’t distant—it’s here with me, enriching my life in simple but powerful ways. It has been a wonderful learning experience, and Monica is an amazing educator. ”

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Advancing Nature-Connected Aging and Care

Green Care, Green Social Prescribing, and nature-based approaches to health and wellbeing are gaining momentum around the world.

Care Outdoors Team Training equips organizations, care providers, and community leaders with the knowledge, confidence, and practical framework to intentionally integrate Nature into aging services, home care, adult day programs, healthcare, and community settings.

Through a blend of online learning, live learning sessions, and experiential outdoor practices, teams develop a shared language, shared practices, and a shared vision for bringing Nature into everyday care.

Flexible start dates, group pricing, and customized organizational learning pathways are available.

Why Partner With Care Outdoors?

Team Learning & Community of Practice

Bring care professionals, residents, and interested family members together as co-pioneers in a shared learning experience that inspires collaboration and discovery! Connect with a growing community of carers, educators, practitioners, advocates, and changemakers helping shape the future of Care Outdoors and Eco Gerontology.

Accountability & Support

Support meaningful and lasting change through weekly live check-ins, embodied Nature Experience, reflective practice, and ongoing conversations that encourage participants to bring their learning into everyday life and care.

Flexible Learning

Care Outdoors combines self-paced online learning, experiential Nature practices, and opportunities for real-world application. Participants are encouraged to learn at their own pace, explore their local environments, and share discoveries and experiences with one another.

Each learner receives six months of access to the learning modules, beginning with their first login.

Weekly Live Learning Sessions

Over 10 weeks, participants are invited to weekly live check-ins featuring interactive discussions, reflection, questions, and opportunities to share stories, insights, and discoveries from their Nature Experiences.

Care Outdoors Community

Continue the conversation through the Care Outdoors Community, where participants share stories, photographs, reflections, resources, ideas, and inspiration while learning from one another.

Course Content

Explore evidence-based Green Care approaches, Eco Gerontology, and Reciprocal-Shared Care through embodied Nature practices, reflective learning, and meaningful experiences with the living world. Discover opportunities to deepen Nature connectedness, strengthen relationships, and cultivate belonging, purpose, and contribution across care communities and beyond.

Become a Care Outdoors Community

Bring your team and community together to learn, grow, and discover new possibilities for a Nature Connected Future for All!

Group Enrollment: $3,900 for up to 10 learners

Care professionals, residents, and interested family members are invited to participate as fellow learners, sharing experiences and exploring ways to bring Care Outdoors into everyday life.

Your group enrollment includes:

  • Access to the Care Outdoors learning modules for six months from each learner's first login

  • Weekly live learning check-ins over 10 weeks

  • Experiential Nature practices and reflective learning

  • Care Outdoors Companion Guide and Practice Journal

  • Participation in the Care Outdoors Community

  • Opportunities to apply learning within your own community and bioregion

Upcoming Learning Cohorts

Care Outdoors plans to offer six learning cohorts throughout 2027, providing opportunities for individuals and organizational groups to learn together.

2027 cohort dates will be announced soon.

For group enrollment inquiries or larger organizational learning opportunities, please contact:

[email protected]


Included

Care Outdoors Companion Guide & Practice Journal

Each participant receives the Care Outdoors Companion Guide and Practice Journal, designed to support experiential learning, reflection, and nature-connected practices throughout the training.
Care Outdoors Companion Booklet included

Program Learning Objectives

Integrate Nature-Connected Care

Explore evidence-based Green Care approaches and Nature-connected care practices while developing practical strategies for cultivating meaningful Nature Experiences across aging services, home care, healthcare, and community settings.

Strengthen Relationships with Nature

Deepen personal Nature Connectedness through embodied practices, reflective learning, and insights from the science of awe, discovering new possibilities for connection, belonging, and wellbeing.

Apply the Eco Gerontology Lens

Explore the emerging field of Eco Gerontology and discover how our relationships with Nature can enrich age-friendly, livable, person-directed, and regenerative approaches to aging, care, and community wellbeing.

Facilitate Meaningful Nature Experiences

Develop confidence in facilitating creative, person-directed Nature Experiences that foster Reciprocal-Shared Care, meaningful engagement, social inclusion, and opportunities for contribution.

Support Community Learning & Culture Change

Identify opportunities for care professionals, residents, and family members to learn together while bringing Care Outdoors principles into organizational practices, programs, environments, and everyday life.

Recognize Nature as an Essential Care Ally

Recognize Nature as an essential partner in health, wellbeing, resilience, and healthy longevity, while exploring opportunities to deepen reciprocal relationships with the living world.

6 Modules of Experiential Learning!

Cultivate the knowledge, confidence, and experiential practices needed to intentionally integrate Nature into aging services, home care, healthcare, and community settings.

  • The Dire Need for Care Outdoors

  • Reimagining Care: Our Relationship with Nature

  • Green Care Approaches

  • The Emerging Field of Eco Gerontology

  • Sensory Engagement with Nature & Removing Barriers

  • Becoming a Nature Connected Culture of Care

Why Outdoor Engagement Matters

"My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of Nature." –Claude Monet

  • Being indoors for extended periods can negatively impact mood, potentially leading to depression and stress, which can, in turn, disrupt sleep patterns.

  • Research shows lack of exposure to natural sunlight, which helps regulate the body's sleep-wake rhythms, can further exacerbate sleep issues.

  • Prolonged lack of natural sunlight can lead to various health effects, including weakened immune system, low energy levels, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), weaker bones, and weight gain, due to reduced production of vitamin D and serotonin, disruption of circadian rhythm, and slowed metabolism.

  • Decreased outdoor activity leads to reduced physical movement compared to being outdoors, where activities like walking are more common, potentially contributing to a sedentary lifestyle with associated health risks.

Benefits of Care Outdoors

  • Reduces Feelings of Loneliness and Isolation

  • Inspires Awe and Gratitude

  • Increases Physical Activity

  • Fosters Connectedness & Promotes Social Inclusion

  • Improves Cognitive Function & Reduces Stress

  • Strengthens Immunity & Bolsters Digestion

  • Improves Sleep and Hydration

  • Generates Joy, Calm, Gratitude, Pain Reduction, Wellbeing

Social & Ecological Impact

Become a Community of Care Outdoors Companions

Upon successful completion of the program, participants receive a Care Outdoors Certificate recognizing their learning in evidence-based Green Care approaches, Eco Gerontology, and Nature-Connected Care and Living.

More importantly, participants become part of a growing community of Care Outdoors Companions, discovering new ways to deepen their relationships with Nature, one another, and the living world.

Together, care professionals, residents, and interested family members become co-pioneers, discovering the wonders of their community, surrounding bioregions, and beyond!

Through embodied Nature practices, shared experiences, and reflective learning, participants discover opportunities for connection, belonging, purpose, and contribution while exploring the possibilities of Reciprocal-Shared Care.

As Green Care, Green Social Prescribing, and Nature-based approaches to health and wellbeing continue to gain momentum around the world, Care Outdoors offers a distinctive learning experience that places our relationship with Nature at the heart of aging and care.

As Care Outdoors Companions, participants can help lead the way in their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and bioregions, inspiring others, All Ages,  to discover the wonders of Nature and new opportunities to give, receive, and share care.


FAQS

What makes Care Outdoors different from a traditional online course?

Care Outdoors is a facilitated experiential learning program that combines online learning, live discussion, guided reflection, and embodied Nature Experiences. Rather than simply learning about Nature, participants deepen their own relationships with the living world, reflect on their discoveries, and intentionally bring Care Outdoors into everyday life and care.

Who is Care Outdoors Community Training for?

Care Outdoors welcomes aging services providers, home care agencies, adult day programs, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, universities, parks and recreation agencies, and community-based organizations interested in cultivating a Nature-connected culture of care.

Care professionals, residents, and interested family members are invited to become co-pioneers, learning together and discovering the wonders of their own communities, bioregions, and beyond!

How is Care Outdoors delivered?

Care Outdoors combines self-paced online learning, experiential Nature practices, weekly live check-ins, guided reflection, and opportunities to share stories, insights, and discoveries.

Individuals and organizational groups participate in facilitated learning cohorts, with opportunities to explore and apply Care Outdoors practices within their own communities and environments.

What is included?

Group enrollment includes:

  • Six months of access to the online learning modules, beginning with each participant's first login

  • Weekly live learning check-ins over 10 weeks

  • Care Outdoors Companion Guides and Practice Journals for participants

  • Experiential Nature practices and reflective learning

  • Outcome measurement tools

  • Access to the Care Outdoors Community

  • Care Outdoors Certificates for participants who successfully complete the program

How long does the training take?

Care Outdoors offers a 10-week facilitated learning experience, including weekly live check-ins, self-paced learning, and opportunities to explore and practice within participants' own environments.

Each participant receives six months of access to the online learning modules beginning with their first login, allowing additional time for learning, reflection, and application.

Do participants need prior experience?

No. Care Outdoors welcomes people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Care professionals, residents, and interested family members can participate as fellow learners, sharing their unique perspectives, experiences, and discoveries.

Do participants need access to wilderness or large outdoor spaces?

No. Care Outdoors invites participants to discover the wonders of Nature wherever they live and receive care. Practices can be adapted to gardens, patios, courtyards, neighborhoods, parks, care communities, and other accessible outdoor spaces.

Even the smallest encounters with the living world can offer meaningful opportunities for connection, discovery, and reciprocal care.

Will participants receive certificates?

Yes. Participants who successfully complete the program receive a Care Outdoors Companion Certificate recognizing their learning in evidence-based Green Care approaches, Eco Gerontology, and Nature-connected care.

Participants also become part of a growing community of Care Outdoors Companions, exploring opportunities to give, receive, and share care with Nature and one another.

What is the group enrollment rate?

$3,900 for up to 10 learners.

Bring care professionals, residents, and interested family members together for a shared learning experience that supports a Nature-connected culture of care.

Group participants join scheduled Care Outdoors learning cohorts alongside other learners, with opportunities for shared reflection and community-based application.

For larger groups or additional organizational learning opportunities, please contact us.

When are learning cohorts offered?

Care Outdoors plans to offer six facilitated learning cohorts throughout 2027, providing multiple opportunities for individuals and organizational groups to participate.

The 2027 learning schedule will be announced soon.

How do we get started?

Contact Monica to explore group enrollment, upcoming learning opportunities, and how your organization can Become a Care Outdoors Community.

[email protected]

Questions about group enrollment, upcoming cohorts, scheduling, or bringing Care Outdoors to your community? We'd love to hear from you!

Thank You

Meet Monica

LIVE LEARN GROW

Monica Eastway is an educator, speaker, gerontologist, and pioneer in the emerging field of Eco Gerontology. Her work explores how relationships between people, communities, places, and the living world shape health, wellbeing, belonging, and longevity across the lifespan. Drawing upon more than 25 years of experience in health, wellbeing, aging, and community-based practice, Monica develops educational programs, community conversations, and partnerships that bridge Gerontology, Nature Connectedness, Green Care, ecology, and regenerative thinking. She is the founder of The Eco Gerontology Initiative and creator of the Care Outdoors Companion Training and Eco Gerontology Foundational Certificate, advancing research, education, and practice that places Nature at the heart of how we understand and support aging in a rapidly changing world. Monica holds a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Toledo. Through education, speaking, partnerships, and community engagement, she is helping cultivate healthier, more nature-connected, and regenerative futures for all generations. Join a growing community helping shape the emerging field of Eco Gerontology.

Monica Eastway

Meet Monica