No matter how good the doctors or how effective the medicines are, a patient may find it hard to recover in a dull and dreary environment. A hospital is a place for healing and landscaping is an excellent way to create a natural, green environment around it. Studies have proved that greenery is an excellent antidote for sickness, which is why a landscaped garden in a hospital should be created to boost patient recovery.
Creating a therapeutic environment
Along with medicines, patients also need a lot of rest, which they can get provided the environment facilitates it. A well-maintained, landscaped garden is therapeutic in itself. A garden brings nature closer to patients even in an urban hospital setting, which is typically associated with chaos, noise and pollution. Planting the right kind of trees and creating an open space with a lot of greenery can certainly lift the spirits of the patients admitted in the healthcare center. For patients who are rehabilitating, gardens are excellent spaces for walking or just relaxing and enjoying the evening or early morning times in peace and quiet.
The Healing Power of Gardens
It would seem obvious that lush, attractive landscaping would aid in the healing process. However, research also backs this up. According to a widely referenced study by environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich that appeared in the journal Science in 1984, the healing process after surgery, infections, and other illnesses can, at times, be quickened by a patient being able to peer out at a garden.
Ulrich’s group examined records of patients at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital following gallbladder surgery. In comparison to patients whose view was a brick wall, those whose bedside windows faced lush trees healed, on average, a day quicker, used a lot less pain medication, and experienced fewer problems after surgery.
Landscape Design with Integrated Therapy Tools
Gardens in hospitals and rehabilitation centers are often specially designed to include certain therapeutic tools. These spaces are equipped with comfortable benches, swings and water bodies that the patients can access while on the lawns. Additionally, these spaces also make for calming views while indoors. Some hospitals may also have beds placed in the courtyard, overlooking the well-landscaped garden, which has a therapeutic effect on patients.
Gardens and walkways around the hospitals are also designed keeping in mind the accessibility factor, such that even those in wheelchairs, on crutches or walking frames can easily enter and exit the green spaces.
Facilitating psychological well-being
A natural environment promote healing, a factor which hospitals can bank on. Green vistas, natural sunlight and ventilation have known to boost the recovery speeds in patients, while improving the individual’s psychological well-being too. A sound mind is as important as a healthy body for a person’s overall well-being, and a well-maintained landscape garden is what makes it possible.
A stress-free zone for all
A garden in the hospital premises not only promotes patient recovery, but also acts as a stress buster for those working in the challenging environment. A peaceful and beautiful front entry with vibrant flowers and lush foliage welcomes visitors and employees alike, allowing for a stressful moment or day to be met with beauty and tranquility.
A separate space in the garden can be created for doctors and nurses who want to relax during their breaks and rejuvenate before long shifts at the hospital. When taking breaks, garden walks offer an opportunity for physical activity and fresh air.
Beneficial Tips for Crafting a Beautiful Landscape Design
There are several ways that hospitals and other healthcare institutions might use healing landscape design. Let’s look at some key factors to think about while designing a hospital’s landscape.
Maintain Accessible and Safe Walkways
Wheelchairs and couples walking down the hospital’s landscaped paths should be able to do so easily. Smooth surfaces will help prevent snags on IV poles with wheels and other obstacles for wheelchairs.
Incorporate Plants That Are Soothing and Healing
Therapeutic landscaping might benefit significantly from including some plants that have long been linked to health and well-being. Such plants might include sweet marjoram, catnip, lavender, rosemary, and roses.
Native Plants That Are Attractive to Wildlife
Native plants, or plants indigenous to the region of the country in which you reside, have grown increasingly popular. Due to their resilient nature and ability to resist disease and pests, they typically require little maintenance and tend to grow healthy and strong.
Native plants are also beneficial for attracting wildlife native to your region, which can help aid the healing process and ensure patients’ overall joy and well-being. Patients and medical staff who venture outdoors for a break will be delighted to see birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds fluttering around.
Include Water Features
Anxiety is reduced, and a hospital stay seems less stressful when the sound of flowing water can be heard. Both fountains and waterfalls are excellent and attractive features in healing gardens, courtyards, and common areas.
A Joy for The Senses
The eyes aren’t the only thing that can benefit from a practical therapeutic landscape. Offer gardens that play on all senses – sight, smell, touch, sound, and touch. Ornamental grasses, fuzzy lamb’s ears, and lavender are all pleasant and relaxing choices for a garden that allows the senses to be thrilled and quieted all at once. When selecting plants for your garden, it is essential to remember that some intensely fragrant flowers may be more irritating than relaxing for patients receiving specific treatment types, such as chemotherapy.
Green Is King
There is no doubt that beautifully layered pathways and courtyards with gorgeous hardscape elements are all a part of developing and executing a solid hospital landscaping design. However, the shade, privacy, and natural beauty that a thick and lush landscape creates with trees, shrubs, and flowers cannot be matched. Nature can decrease blood pressure, stabilize hormone levels, calm the nervous system, boost the immune system, reduce anxiety, and enhance an individual’s overall mood. In landscaping, especially for hospitals and medical facilities, green remains king.
Contact Us
At Chris James Landscaping Inc., we have been in business for 40+ years and understand the importance of a hospital visit and how to create a calm, comfortable atmosphere for your patients, staff, and visitors. From relaxing patios and seating areas to calming greenery and tranquil pathways, we will help you design the perfect oasis for all who enter. If you are ready to boost the healing power of your facility with our landscaping services, contact our skilled team today!
