Gayle Souter-Brown, director, Greenstone Design UK, explains how to design a care home garden to make the most of the positive impact it can have on the overall environment
Care homes in the UK take two main forms: nursing homes for people requiring care where nurses are always on duty; and residential homes for people with a level of disability who do not require full time nursing care. Most residents are elderly. In addition to their diagnosed condition, some experience confusion and most experience a degree of stress at being removed from their own homes.
This ‘cocktail of needs’ places unique demands on the care home environment It takes time for carers to provide the appropriate support. It also requires an environment conducive to reducing stress, facilitating meaningful activity and creating and maintaining a level of health and general wellness.
In the traditional health care system, these elements of care are expensive. In a salutogenic environment, where design specifically addresses these needs, those costs are reduced. If one can save money in one area, one can invest it in other more interesting, productive and potentially marketable areas.
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