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
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.
Engage your team in a shared learning experience that supports collaboration, innovation, and culture change. Connect with a growing community of caregivers, educators, practitioners, advocates, and changemakers helping shape the future of Care Outdoors and Eco Gerontology.
Support lasting change through live learning, reflective practice, implementation, and ongoing team discussion.
Designed for busy professionals, Care Outdoors combines self-paced online learning, experiential outdoor practices, and real-world application that fits within existing roles and responsibilities.
Each live session includes a brief presentation followed by interactive discussion, reflection, and opportunities for participants to share stories, insights, and discoveries.
Continue the conversation through the Care Outdoors Community, where participants share stories, photographs, resources, ideas, and inspiration.
Explore evidence-informed Green Care and nature-connected care while developing practical strategies for facilitating meaningful Outdoor experiences across aging services, home care, healthcare, and community settings.
• Up to 6 Participants — $3,300
• Up to 12 Participants — $6,000
• Up to 18 Participants — $8,100
• Up to 30 Participants — $12,000
Private team cohorts are available throughout the year. Choose a schedule that works for your organization.
Customized team training and organizational learning pathways are available for aging services providers, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, universities, parks and recreation agencies, and community-based programs.
Contact: [email protected]
Care Outdoors Companion Guide, Practice Journal & Outcome Measurement Tools
Explore evidence-informed Green Care and nature-connected care practices while developing practical strategies for integrating meaningful Outdoor experiences across aging services, home care, healthcare, and community settings.
Develop practical approaches for integrating Nature into everyday care and living experiences using insights from the science of awe and Nature Connectedness.
Explore the emerging field of Eco Gerontology and discover how Nature can enrich age-friendly, livable, person-directed, and regenerative approaches to aging, care, and community wellbeing.
Apply creative, person-centered outdoor practices that foster Reciprocal-Shared Care, meaningful engagement, social inclusion, and community connection.
Identify opportunities to integrate Care Outdoors principles into organizational practices, programs, environments, and everyday routines.
Recognize Nature as an essential partner in health, wellbeing, resilience, and healthy longevity while exploring practical strategies for bringing these benefits into organizational settings.
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
Growing a Nature-Based Care Practice & Career Pathways
"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.
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
Upon successful completion of the program, participants receive a Care Outdoors Certificate recognizing their training in evidence-informed, nature-connected care and Green Care approaches.
More importantly, participants become part of a growing community of Care Outdoors Leaders committed to integrating meaningful Outdoor experiences into aging services, home care, adult day programs, healthcare, and community settings.
Participants leave with practical tools, experiential knowledge, and a practical framework for bringing Nature into everyday care.
As Green Care, Green Social Prescribing, and nature-based approaches to health and wellbeing continue to gain momentum around the world, Care Outdoors positions organizations and their teams at the forefront of this growing movement.
For organizations, Care Outdoors provides a professional development pathway that strengthens staff confidence, expands meaningful engagement opportunities, supports workforce wellbeing, and helps cultivate a more nature-connected culture of care.
By learning together, teams build a shared language, shared practices, and a shared vision for integrating Nature into everyday care and community life.
Care Outdoors is a facilitated experiential learning program that combines online learning, live discussion, guided reflection, and practical Outdoor experiences. Rather than simply learning about Nature, participants experience Nature, reflect, and intentionally integrate Care Outdoors into everyday practice.
Care Outdoors Team Training is designed for aging services providers, home care agencies, adult day programs, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, universities, parks and recreation agencies, and community-based organizations interested in bringing nature-connected care into practice.
Care Outdoors Team Training combines self-paced online learning, experiential outdoor practices, live learning sessions, and opportunities for team reflection, discussion and implementation. Training can be tailored to meet the needs and schedule of your organization.
Team Training includes:
• Access to all course modules
• Live learning sessions
• Care Outdoors Companion Guides and Practice Journals for participants
• Outcome measurement tools
• Access to the Care Outdoors Community
• Care Outdoors Certificates for participants who successfully complete the program
The program is designed to be flexible while supporting meaningful team learning and implementation. Organizations may choose a timeline that best fits their professional development schedule and organizational goals.
No. The training is designed for both newcomers and experienced professionals seeking practical ways to integrate nature-connected care into programs, services, organizations, and communities.
No. Care Outdoors practices can be adapted to a wide variety of environments, including gardens, patios, courtyards, neighborhoods, parks, care communities, and other accessible outdoor spaces.
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the program receive a Care Outdoors Certificate recognizing their training in evidence-informed, nature-connected care and Green Care approaches.
• Up to 6 Participants — $3,300
• Up to 12 Participants — $6,000
• Up to 18 Participants — $8,100
• Up to 30 Participants — $12,000
Contact Monica to discuss your organization's goals, team size, scheduling preferences, and how Care Outdoors can support your team.
LIVE LEARN GROW
