| dc.description.abstract | The United States is aging. Baby boomers are getting older and the elderly population is
on the rise. As people age many develop diseases and can no longer care for
themselves. Lots of people joke about "sending mom and dad to live in a home," but it
is no joking matter. The move to a nursing home can be traumatic. Residents have a
major lifestyle change when they move into a nursing home. They go from living
successful independent lives to living in a small room possibly with a roommate, having
their meals picked out for them, and frequently they are bored, depressed, and lonely.
Even while living in a high quality nursing home with planned activities, many residents
spend a large amount of time staring out windows, watching television, or simply doing
nothing. This is not the kind of life they want or deserve.
Nursing homes provide care and housing for elderly people who can no longer care for
themselves. But the nursing home environment can feel more like a hospital than home
and life in one can be difficult. It is difficult for residents to live in a hospital-like
environment where life can be mundane and lonely. It is difficult for staff to care for
and watch residents as they live out their last few years. And it is difficult for family and
friends to visit their loved ones and see them sick and lonely.
To make life in a nursing home healthier it has to be more like a home for residents. A
home where people make their own decisions, work, and have fun. Healing gardens put
these activities back into nursing home residents lives. Gardens have the ability to give
residents back confidence, strength, and friends. And happier healthier residents result
in happier staff and families.
Healing gardens are a fairly new concept, but their popularity is currently growing in the
health care industry. More and more the benefits from involving nature in the lives of
patients are being observed in hospitals and nursing homes. Patients with access to or
views of natural outdoor spaces are less irritable, require less medication and
supervision, and are all around happier than patients with no outdoor views or access to
nature. Patients are not the only ones benefiting from healing gardens. Staff and visitors
use the gardens as places to visit with loved ones, be by themselves and think, or simply
grieve.
This capstone project investigates how properly designed outdoor spaces can affect the
lives of patients, staff, and visitors at the Grand Village Nursing Home. And states
what is needed in Grand Village's gardens and outdoor spaces to make them the most
beneficial to patients, staff, and visitors. | en_US |
