healing environments in radiotherapy - Agnes van den Berg

Healing Environments in Radiotherapy Project Report
can facilitate stress reduction, since nature scenes foster positive feelings (Ulrich, cited in Hesta,
2008). Ideally, gardens in healing environments should be designed so that they provide a range of
different experiences. For instance some shadier, secluded areas should be provided for patients
wishing for some privacy. Having the opportunity to feel ‘alone’ with nature can promote a feeling of
being protected for some patients. In contrast, larger open areas provide opportunities for people to
gather and be social, and to enjoy the sun (Hesta, 2008). At the Martini Ziekenhuis Groningen, for
example, the garden is intended to be a special place promoting calmness and social contact. It was
designed in cooperation with the nature protection agency Natuurmonumenten, which advised the
hospital to create a wheelchair friendly trail towards a nature park nearby (Wartna, 2008). Figure 12
shows a healing garden at a cancer centre in Massachusetts, which incorporates the positive benefits
of being among trees, having sweeping views, and enjoying a water feature.
Figure 11: Healing garden at Massachusetts General Hospital
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The image below shows a small garden courtyard at the radiotherapy department of Marin General
Hospital in California (figure 13). In the background, the floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide a view
into the garden from the waiting area. Offices in the first floor also look out and down onto this
space. According to the patients and visitors, this garden provides an area of relaxation and an
opportunity to get away from the busy hospital environment, providing a “big mental and emotional
lift” (Marin General Hospital, 2009). Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital has created a similar
central courtyard with window access from 14 of its 32 rooms, in response to a survey of visitors that
indicated a need for a more visually pleasant and sunny environment (Cassidy, 2003).
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