Dallas Zoo Helps People With Dementia Connect With Nature

The Dallas Zoo's Wild Gatherings program is designed to make nature more accessible to visitors with dementia, reports KUT News . Zoo staffer Tonya McDaniel notes connecting with wildlife can be a powerful experience, with studies demonstrating that physical activity may help slow cognitive decline, while digesting new information can increase brain activity. "This is an opportunity to help them get out of their regular routine and getting them back out into nature, and hopefully sparking some memories of when they were younger and playing in nature," she says. Wild Gatherings is a free program, and the Dallas Zoo can accommodate about 25 people for each visit. The next Wild Gatherings event is scheduled for April 22.