Enhancing Self-Esteem, Well-Being, and Relaxation in the Elderly through Nature-Based Interventions

Anna Heród (), Bożena Szewczyk-Taranek and Bożena Pawłowska
Additional contact information
Anna Heród: Department of Ornamental Plants and Garden Art, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
Bożena Szewczyk-Taranek: Department of Ornamental Plants and Garden Art, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
Bożena Pawłowska: Department of Ornamental Plants and Garden Art, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: As the populations of many countries are aging, institutions providing support for the elderly increasingly often use nature-based interventions (NBIs) as part of their therapeutic activities. This study aimed to show the impact of 8-week active and passive NBI programs on self-esteem, well-being, and relaxation in the elderly. The NBI programs were conducted in two groups of elderly citizens of Poland: independent senior students and seniors requiring 24 h care. The Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and the World Health Organization Well-Being Index were used to assess self-esteem and well-being before and after the programs. To assess relaxation, pre–post session measurements of pulse rate (PR) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) were used. Our study showed an improvement in the self-esteem, well-being, and relaxation of the participants of both active and passive NBI programs. In all study groups, self-esteem and well-being improved after the programs, regardless of the type of intervention, and after each NBI session, the elderly showed a decrease in PR and an increase in SpO 2 , which indicated a deeper state of relaxation. Our research showed a greater improvement in the tested parameters in the seniors participating in the passive programs in a garden. This confirms a key role of green spaces in residential areas for the elderly and in nursing homes.

Keywords: horticultural therapy; older adults; long-term care facilities; nursery; garden therapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/7/952/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/7/952/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:7:p:952-:d:1439355

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().