Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to test the effects of horticulture therapy on activities of daily living, happiness, meaning of life, and interpersonal intimacy of nursing home older adults in southern Taiwan.
Methods
A quasi-experimental study was applied. Eighty-five older adults aged 65 or older who lived in nursing homes in southern Taiwan were recruited conveniently. All participants completed the study: experimental group (n = 41) and control group (n = 44). The experimental group received horticulture therapy for 1 h once a week for 8 weeks, while the control group continued their routine daily activities. The following questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention period: (1) Barthel Index (BI), (2) Chinese Happiness Inventory short version (CHI), (3) Meaning of Life Scale (MLS), and (4) Interpersonal Intimacy Scale (IIS).
Results
The BI, CHI, MLS, and IIS scores significantly improved in the experimental group (p < .05). After 8 weeks of horticulture therapy, the BI, CHI, and IIS scores of experimental group participants were significantly better than the scores of control group participants (p < .05); however, the MLS scores of two groups showed no significant differences (p = .738).
Conclusions
Horticulture therapy improved activities of daily living, happiness, and interpersonal intimacy of older adults in nursing homes. We recommend that nursing homes recruit and train personnel to lead horticultural therapy and to incorporate the therapy as routine daily activities in the facilities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Liang, Y. W., Wang, S. M., Lee, J. L., Lin, Y. H., & Cheng, Y. L. (2008). Exploring the factors affecting discharge planning patients’ residing institutional long-term care facilities. The Journal of Health Science. doi:10.6563/TJHS.2008.10(1).1.
Chao, S. Y., Lan, Y. H., Tso, H. C., Chung, C. M., Neim, Y. M., & Clark, M. J. (2008). Predictors of psychosocial adaptation among elderly residents in long-term care settings. Journal of Nursing Research 16(2), 149–158.
Chuang, Y. H., & Abbey, J. (2009). The culture of a Taiwanese nursing home. Journal of Clinical Nursing. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02698.x.
Chiu, M. J., Chen, Y. M., & Li, Y. P. (2007). Life adaptation and the factors influencing it among the elderly living in long-term care facilities. Journal of Evidence-Based Nursing. doi:10.6225/JEBN.3.2.119.
Lo, J. L. (2008). The daily occupations of elderly nursing home residents: The residents’ perspective. Journal of Taiwan Occupational Therapy Association, 26(1), 53–63.
Chen, Y. L., Chang, C. M., & Chiu, Y. J. (2008). Research on care facilities and leisure sports curriculum of the Kaohsiung-Pingtung area. NCYU Physical Education, Health and Recreation Journal. doi:10.6169/NCYUJPEHR.7.1.05.
Huang, C. Y., Hsu, W. C., Li, C. L., & Chiu, Y. C. (2011). A review of physical interventions for patients with dementia. The Journal of Long-term Care, 15, 157–167.
Chen, H. M., & Huang, Y. L. (2005). The theory and application of horticultural therapy. Journal of the Chinese Society for Horticultural Science, 51, 135–144.
Kuo, Y. J. (2005). Landscape and horticulture therapy. Taipei: Chan’s Arch.
Relf, P. D. (2005). The therapeutic values of plants. Pediatric Rehabilitation. doi:10.1080/13638490400011140.
Detweiler, M. B., Sharma, T., Detweiler, J. G., Murphy, P. F., Lane, S., Carman, J., et al. (2012). What is the evidence to support the use of therapeutic gardens for the elderly? Psychiatry Investigation, 9(2), 100–110.
Kiyota, E. (2009). People-nature interactions: The therapeutic role of nature in elderly residents’ everyday experience in a long term care facility. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses databases (UMI No. 3363430).
Rappe, E. (2005). The influence of a green environment and horticultural activities on the subjective well-being of the elderly living in long-term care. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
Whear, R., Coon, J. T., Bethel, A., Abbott, R., Stein, K., & Garside, R. (2014). What is the impact of using outdoor spaces such as gardens on the physical and mental well-being of those with dementia? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 15(10), 697–705.
Liu, Y. C. (2010). Feasibility study of horticultural activities to the demented elderly at a senior care home (Unpublished master’s thesis). Taipei: National Taiwan University.
Park, S. L., Kwan, S., & Son, K. C. (2012). Metabolic cost of horticulture activities in older adults. Journal of the Japanese Society for Horticultural Science. doi:10.2503/jjshs1.81.295.
Park, S. A., & Shoemaker, C. A. (2009). Observing body position of older adults while gardening for health benefits and risks. Activities, Adaptation, and Aging. doi:10.1080/01924780902718582.
Kim, M. Y., Kim, G. S., Mattson, N. S., & Kim, W. S. (2010). Effects of horticultural occupational therapy on the physical and psychological rehabilitation of patients with hemiplegia after stroke. Korean Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology, 28(5), 884–890.
Söderback, I., Söderström, M., & Schälander, E. (2004). Horticultural therapy: The “healing garden” and gardening in rehabilitation measures at Danderyd Hospital Rehabilitation Clinic, Sweden. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 7(4), 245–260.
Hsieh, S. A. (2012). Study of effects of horticulture therapy on heart rate of the hospitalized stroke patients (Unpublished master’s thesis). Taichung: Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Wichrowski, M., Whiteson, J., Haas, F., Mola, A., & Rey, M. J. (2005). Effects of horticultural therapy on mood and heart rate in patients participating in an inpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 25(5), 270–274.
Kotozaki, Y. (2013). The psychological changes of horticultural therapy intervention for elderly women of earthquake-related areas. Trauma and Treatment. doi:10.4172/2167-1222.1000184.
Masuya, J., Ota, K., & Mashida, Y. (2014). The effect of a horticultural activities program on the psychologic, physical, and cognitive function and quality of life of elderly people living in nursing homes. International Journal of Nursing and Clinical Practices. doi:10.15344/2394-4978/2014/109.
Jarrott, S. E., & Gigliotti, C. M. (2010). Comparing responses to horticultural-based and traditional activities in dementia care programs. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. doi:10.1177/1533317510385810.
Kam, M. C., & Siu, A. M. (2010). Evaluation of a horticultural activity programme for persons with psychiatric illness. Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20(2), 80–86.
Chen, Y. M., & Ji, J. Y. (2015). Effects of horticultural therapy on psychosocial health in older nursing home residents: A preliminary study. The Journal of Nursing Research. doi:10.1097/jnr.0000000000000063.
Yang, H. H. (2010). A study on meaning of life and death anxiety of older persons in long-term care facilities: A case study of Kaohsiung and Pingtung region. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Chia-Yi, Taiwan: Nanhua University.
Kaohsiung City Government, Social Affairs Bureau. (2016). List of senior citizens’ welfare institutions in Kaohsiung city. Retrieved from http://socbu.kcg.gov.tw/index.php?prog=2&b_id=4&m_id=160&s_id=660
Yen, Y. C., Rebok, G. W., Yang, M. J., & Lung, F. W. (2008). A multilevel analysis of the influence of Apolipoprotein E genotypes on depressive symptoms in late-life moderated by the environment. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32(2), 479–486.
Shen, W. (2013). Horticulture therapy. Taipei: City Publishing.
Mahoney, F. I., & Barthel, D. W. (1965). Functional evaluation: The Barthel Index. Maryland State Medical Journal, 14, 61–65.
Lu, L. (2006). Cultural fit: Individual and societal discrepancies in values, beliefs and SWB. Journal of Social Psychology, 146, 203–221.
Crumbaugh, J. C., & Maholick, L. T. (1964). An experimental study in existentialism: The psychometric approach to Frankl’s concept of noögenic neurosis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20(2), 200–207.
Liu, M. J. (2000). A study on the relationship between elderly interpersonal intimacy, adult attachment, and well-being (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kaohsiung: National Kaohsiung Normal University.
Ministry of the Interior. (2015). 2014 gender analysis. Retrieved from http://sowf.moi.gov.tw/stat/gender/103analysis1-2.pdf
Ministry of the Interior, Department of Statistics. (2016). 2015 education statistics of population aged over 15 years old. Retrieved from http://www.moi.gov.tw/stat/news_content.aspx?sn=10225
Porchey, P. (2007). Horticultural therapy: How can it make a difference in your everyday life. Proceeding of Florida State Horticultural Society, 120, 351–352.
Tse, M. M. (2007). Nursing home placement: Perspectives of community-dwelling older persons. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16(5), 911–917. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01833.x.
Acknowledgments
Sincere appreciation is directed by our group to Professor Frank Belcastro for his superlative manuscript editing; to the directors and staff of seven nursing homes for their support and assistance; and to the 85 wonderful older adults for their generous participation.
Author contributions
All authors meet the criteria for authorship and have approved the final article, and all those entitled to authorship are listed as authors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
IRB approval
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital (KMUH-IRB-20140044).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yao, YF., Chen, KM. Effects of horticulture therapy on nursing home older adults in southern Taiwan. Qual Life Res 26, 1007–1014 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1425-0
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1425-0