悠然＞第五期 - 園藝治療

悠 然 .2013.6 月 號 . 第 5 期 . 香 港 園 藝 治 療 協 會 HKATHConclusion: Ultimately the concept of Restorative Gardens is refocusing the design of the landscapefrom the aesthetic and functional needs of the site to the psychological, social, and physical needs ofthe users. This trend could lead to healthier individuals, communities and environments.GARDENS IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGSIn healthcares setting in which treatment is being provided by teams of professionals, there have beena number of studies that document the healing quality of near-by-nature. One of the most recognizedand cited studies conducted by Ulrich took advantage of ten years of clinical data on cholecystectomypatients who were randomly assigned to rooms facing either a stand of deciduous trees or a brick wallbased on room availability. He restricted his study to matched pairs of males who were in the hospitalonly when the trees were in foliage and was able to determine statistically significantly positiveeffects of the view of trees. These results included patients spending less time in the hospital andusing fewer doses of strong pain relievers if they had a room with a view of trees rather than a view ofa brick wall (Ulrich, 1984). Other studies using nature scenes and sounds as an intervention in arandomized control design and restorative activities such as walking in a garden both had similarpositive results.Although space is at a premium in urban/suburban locations, most healthcare facilities have areas thatare suitable for landscaping for healing or restorative purposes. Often the plantings in these areas (ifexistent at all) are mandated by local codes to meet minimum aesthetic standards that are far belowthe architectural standards of the building and often serve to detract or demean the facility. Likewisemaintenance is sub-par and unhealthy plants add to the feeling of disrespect. In their book, HealingGardens, Clare Cooper Marcus and Marni Barnes analyzed and categorized the different types ofoutdoor/planted spaces in the hospital settings they were studying. The spaces they defined in theirstudy are: Landscaped Grounds, Landscaped Setback, The Front Porch, Entry Garden, Courtyard,Plaza, Roof Garden, Roof Terrace, Healing Garden, Meditation Garden, Viewing Garden, TheViewing/Walk-in Garden, A Tucked-Away Garden, Borrowed Landscape, Nature Trails and NaturePreserves, and Atrium Garden. The attributes of each are discussed thoroughly in the book and theirpotential to contribute to the overall health characteristics of the facility are considered. Needless tosay, while many of the facilities have comparable architecture locations as those given above, mostare not using them most effectively for their healing qualities.Healing Gardens As a result of the earlier studies of Ulrich and the Kaplans, the concept of designinglandscapes at hospitals, hospices, and similar sites for their healing qualities rather than merely tocover the grounds is gaining favor. According to their study a healing garden is defined as “a categorythat includes outdoor or indoor garden spaces in hospitals that are specifically designated as healinggardens by the administration and the designer” (Cooper Marcus and Barnes, 1999), which means thatdirected thought has been given to creating a therapeutic environment. This concept is further