Natural environments are known to promote physical, mental, and
spiritual healing. People can attain health benefits by spending time outside,
often in remote places to "get away from it all." Now research
conducted by a University of Minnesota graduate student with a team in
Vancouver, B.C., shows that green and "blue" spaces (environments
with running or still water) are especially beneficial for healthy aging in
seniors.
Published in the journal Health and Place, the study demonstrates
that by incorporating smaller features, such as a koi pond or a bench with a
view of flowers, public health and urban development strategies can optimize
nature as a health resource for older adults. Throughout the research, green
and blue spaces promoted feelings of renewal, restoration, and spiritual
connectedness. They also provided places for multi-generational social
interactions and engagement, including planned activities with friends and
families, and impromptu gatherings with neighbors.
"We zoomed in to everyday life for seniors between the ages
of 65 and 86. We discovered how a relatively mundane experience, such as
hearing the sound of water or a bee buzzing among flowers, can have a
tremendous impact on overall health," says Jessica Finlay, a former
research assistant on the project and lead author of the paper. Finlay is now a
doctoral candidate in geography and gerontology at the University of Minnesota,
where she continues to investigate influences of the built environment on
health and well-being in later life. "Accessibility to everyday green and
blue spaces encourages seniors to simply get out the door. This in turn
motivates them to be active physically, spiritually and socially, which can
offset chronic illness, disability and isolation."
Importance of everyday contact with nature
While younger generations may use green and blue spaces more to
escape and rejuvenate from their busy work life, our participants used nature
to be active physically, spiritually, and socially in later life. Many overcame
barriers due to chronic illness, disability, and progressing old age to connect
regularly with green and blue spaces.
Natural environments enable older adults to uphold daily
structure in retirement and provide opportunities for diverse activities
outside the home. This is important to quality of later life by decreasing
boredom, isolation, and loneliness; as well as boosting one's sense of purpose
and accomplishment. Blue space in particular provides opportunities for
non-weight bearing physical activity and physiotherapy (e.g. wading, water
walking, swimming). Waterfront areas are comforting sites for spiritual
connectedness with deceased loved ones, and relaxing places to escape the
strains of later life.
"While our research may seem intuitive, it creates
conversations on how to build communities that serve people across their entire
lifetime. We don't just need a playground for children, we also need sheltered
benches for the grandparents to watch them," says Finlay. "This
research is more than anecdotal; it gives credence to some small but
significant elements of everyday later life. Hopefully it will help urban
planners and developers build communities that span a lifetime."
Finlay offers three tips for healthier aging:
1.
Focus on your overall wellbeing: mental and social health are just as important
as physical health when aging
2.
Get out the door regularly, even if it's just to the end of the block and back
3.
Prioritize everyday contact with nature - whether it's sitting in a park,
listening to a water fountain, or looking at potted plants on a windowsill
The researchers interviewed adults aged 65 - 86 years who lived
in Vancouver, B.C. All study participants were considered low-income, came from
8 different self-identified racial and ethnic groups, and experience a range of
chronic conditions and experiences of health.
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