FOCAL POINTS ON THE UTILISATION OF RETIREMENT CENTRE GARDENS

Within the framework of the pilot project, “Focal Points on the Utilisation of Retirement Centre Gardens”, the specific issues relating to the utilisation and design of three retirement centre gardens from the point of view of both residents and staff were determined from semi-structured interviews. The results showed that most respondents had a close affinity with nature, particularly flowers and plants. On taking up residence in the retirement centre, all except one gave up their own garden. The garden at the retirement centre was mainly used in a passive way, most of the areas not being used at all. The residents did not identify with the garden. Occupational therapists and nursing staff would like to integrate the garden into their work to a greater degree. They expect that as a result, the elderly people would increase the passive use of the garden and also start to use it actively. Semi-public areas and private retreats, such as shady recesses for individuals or small groups, were defined as desirable elements. Generally speaking, the variety of plants should be widened. The utilisation requirements that were roughly pinpointed in the pilot project will be analysed in detail in the research project, “Therapeutic Gardens for Retirement Centres”. Based on the results, the appropriate construction measures will subsequently be carried out. Also, a concept for occupational therapy in the retirement centre garden will be elaborated. A garden management concept for the maintenance and care of the garden, as well as a performance control, will serve as a quality assurance for the project. INTRODUCTION In Switzerland, gardens of retirement centres that is, institutions where an old people’s retirement home, nursing home and senior citizens’ housing are located in one place – until recently have scarcely differed from public parks. However, due to their physical and mental abilities, the requirements of the aged differ radically from those of younger and particularly more mobile elderly people. The action radius of the elderly becomes increasingly limited with advancing old-age infirmities (Newcomer 1976). Often, the garden at the retirement centre is the only place in the open air that the residents can still visit regularly and independently. Information about the wishes of elderly people as regards a retirement centre garden scarcely exists. Moreover, equally little is known about the behaviour of the elderly in the open-air areas of retirement centres. In Switzerland, there are practically no gardens that are optimally tailored to the particular needs, possibilities and abilities of the elderly in the sense of an overall concept. At the beginning of 2001, the Department of Horticulture at the University of Applied Sciences Waedenswil decided to carry out a pilot project on the topic of “Focal Points on the Utilisation of Retirement Centre Gardens”. This project was successfully brought to a close in February 2002. The object was to investigate both the current and desired living environments as well as the main issues relating to the utilisation and design of a retirement centre garden, and thus to create a basis for the “Therapeutic Gardens for Retirement Centres” research project. The basic notion of the research project is to retain and, where possible, to improve the quality of life of the retirement centre residents by increasing the amount of time they spend in the garden, by means of both familiar and new activities. The term “quality of life” is deemed to mean opportunities for the residents to make use of their Proc. IC on Urban Horticulture Eds: R. Junge-Berberovic et al. Acta Hort 643, ISHS 2004 210 still remaining physical, mental and social competences in their everyday lives at the retirement centre, and to satisfy their social and psychological needs as well as the physical ones. Until now, the subject of quality of life in retirement centres has been limited to a nursing and therapeutic level inside the centre itself. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the run-up to the pilot project, a literature and Internet search on the topic of retirement centre gardens was made. This was followed a pilot project where three retirement centres in the Zurich region worked together. The current and desired focal points from the point of view of both residents and staff were determined by means of semi-structured interviews.