Showing posts with label greenery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greenery. Show all posts
Monday, March 13, 2017
Time spent in “green” places linked with longer life in women
What is your doctor doing to ensure you have access to green spaces even while in the hospital?
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
What people say about travelling outdoors after their stroke: a qualitative study
We absolutely need outdoor experiences post-stroke. Demand you get some. A doctor was insistent that I not watch an outdoor whitewater slalom race during a weekend pass due to the possibility of falling and bleeds due to warfarin use. I ignored her.
© 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.
Glancing at greenery can boost concentration levels
Residential exposure to visible blue space (but not green space) associated with lower psychological distress in a capital city
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22272885Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM:
Reduced walking ability and loss of confidence are common after stroke. Many people cannot drive or use public transport, which can restrict participation. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences and attitudes of people following stroke to travelling outdoors early after hospital discharge.METHODS:
Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 people post-stroke, all of whom were receiving rehabilitation to increase outdoor travel. Mean age was 68.6 years (SD 11.7years). Eight significant others also participated. Interviews were conducted at home (median 21 days post-discharge), with a second interview three months later. Questions focussed on common destinations, modes of travel including driving when relevant and factors that influenced outdoor travel. Qualitative data were analysed using constant comparative (grounded theory) methods, resulting in themes and categories.RESULTS:
People with stroke were categorised as either a hesitant or confident explorer, in relation to walking, catching public transport and driving. Factors influencing outdoor travel included their emotional disposition, having meaningful destinations, expectations of recovery and the sphere of influence, including family and therapists. These factors could have an enabling or restricting effect. A pre-stroke walking habit also positively contributed to outdoor travel. Gate-keeping by therapists, general practitioners and family members seemed to adversely affect travel.CONCLUSIONS:
This emerging theory offers insights into the experiences and attitudes to outdoor travel of people who were ambulant and participating in community rehabilitation following a stroke. Future research could explore the experiences of people with more severe mobility, cognitive and communication problems.© 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Residential exposure to visible blue space (but not green space) associated with lower psychological distress in a capital city
To lower your distress/anxiety about not getting any information on how to 100% recover from your stroke you should have a water view from your hospital room. What is your doctor doing to accomplish that? ANYTHING AT ALL?
Post stroke depression(33% chance).
Post stroke anxiety(20% chance).
More research is needed to see if small ponds or fountains or paintings would also do.
Or at a minimum a green view:
Glancing at greenery can boost concentration levels
Residential exposure to visible blue space (but not green space) associated with lower psychological distress in a capital city
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Abstract
As
urbanisation escalates globally, urban neighbourhood features which may
improve physical and mental health are of growing importance. Using a
cross-sectional survey of adults and the application of novel geospatial
techniques, this study investigated whether increased visibility of
nature (green and blue space) was associated with lower psychological
distress (K10 scores), in the capital city of Wellington, New Zealand.
To validate, we also tested whether visibility of blue space was
associated missing teeth in the same sample. Cluster robust, linear
regression models were fitted to test the association between visibility
of nature and K10 scores, adjusted for age, sex, personal income,
neighbourhood population density, housing quality, crime and
deprivation. Higher levels of blue space visibility were associated with
lower psychological distress (β=−0.28, p<0.001). Importantly, blue
space visibility was not significantly associated with tooth loss.
Further research is needed to confirm whether increased visibility of
blue space could promote mental well-being and reduce distress in other
cities.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Glancing at greenery can boost concentration levels
Would using this improve the memory capabilities of survivors so they aren't labeled as memory impaired?
Glancing at greenery can boost concentration levels
A Univ. of Melbourne study shows that glancing at a grassy green roof for only 40 sec markedly boosts concentration.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, gave 150 students a boring, attention-sapping task. The students were asked to press a key as a series of numbers repeatedly flashed on a computer screen, unless that number was three.
They were given a 40-sec break midway through the task to view a city rooftop scene. Half the group viewed a flowering meadow green roof, the other half looked out onto a bare concrete roof.
After the break, students who glanced at the greener vista made significantly less errors and demonstrated superior concentration on the second half of the task, compared to those who viewed the concrete roof.
The green roof provided a restorative experience that boosted those mental resources that control attention, researchers concluded.
Lead researcher Dr. Kate Lee, of the Univ. of Melbourne Faculty of Science, said just a moment of green can provide a boost for tired workers.
"We know that green roofs are great for the environment, but now we can say that they boost attention too. Imagine the impact that has for thousands of employees working in nearby offices," Dr. Lee said.
"This study showed us that looking at an image of nature for less than a minute was all it took to help people perform better on our task.
The research focused on micro-breaks, those short and informal breaks, which happen spontaneously throughout the day.
"It's really important to have micro-breaks. It's something that a lot of us do naturally when we're stressed or mentally fatigued," Dr. Lee added. "There's a reason you look out the window and seek nature, it can help you concentrate on your work and to maintain performance across the workday.
"Certainly this study has implications for workplace well-being and adds extra impetus to continue greening our cities. City planners around the world are switching on to these benefits of green roofs and we hope the future of our cities will be a very green one."
The next research project Dr. Lee and her team plan to undertake tests whether looking at workplace greening makes people more helpful and creative.
Source: Univ. of Melbourne
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