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Let’s imagine one of your residents goes to the clinic to see a physician about a particular ailment. You expect she’ll return with an order for a medication change.
Instead, your resident receives a prescription that states, “Sit outside in the courtyard for 20 minutes a day at least five days per week”. What would you think about this order? What would your resident think?
This prescription might not seem too far-fetched in the near future. Physicians increasingly use nature therapy for a wide variety of conditions, such as depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease, PTSD, osteoporosis, and insomnia. Studies show that, for some people, it works just as well or better than prescription medications.
Even without a doctor’s order, I hope you’ll offer your residents every opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature. You can begin by looking at each of your residents’ activities for the day. How many of them could you easily move outdoors?
Also, be sure you offer nature therapy to all of your residents. For example, even if someone can’t actively take part in an outdoor group activity, perhaps they can go for a ride through the courtyard to enjoy the beautiful flowers.
These are just a few outdoor activities that can offer nature therapy for your residents:
- bird watching
- sing-a-longs
- church services
- craft groups (knitting, crocheting, etc.)
- restorative nursing programs
- watching a sunrise or sunset
- yard games (corn hole, croquet, horseshoes, etc.)
- fishing
- painting classes
- watching children play
- kite flying
- exercise classes
- gardening
- picnics
- brain games (trivia, finish-the-phrase, etc.)
- walking through a park
- bookclub
- blowing bubbles
Now it’s your turn. What nature therapy activities do you offer to your residents?
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