Archive for the ‘Healing Garden’ Category

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HEALTHCARE DESIGN 2013 early bird registration ends 5/10!

Thursday, May 9th, 2013
NSU Medicinal & Healing Garden

Nova Southeastern University Medicinal & Healing Garden, Orlando, Florida.
Photo from www.jessedurko.com/novahealinggarden.html

Register now and save big!

The annual HEALTHCARE DESIGN Conference in Orlando, Florida this fall is months away, but the opportunity to save significantly on the registration fee is coming to a close. Friday, May 10 is the last day to receive the “super saver” conference rate for the event that takes place November 16-19, 2013.

The premier conference is devoted to the design of responsibly built environments and how such settings directly impact the safety, operation, clinical outcomes, and financial success of healthcare facilities.  Attendees come from many disciplines and different levels of professional experience including architecture, interior design, facilities management, academia, clinical care, product developers, service providers, and researchers, to name just a few.

Register for the conference, check out the packed agenda, and learn about the exhibitors.

Clare Cooper Marcus and I will be there (with our new book!) for the TAMU First Look Colloquium speaking about “Therapeutic Landscapes: Tools for Successful Design and Outcomes.” I’ll post more about what other specific educations sessions our TLN members might be interested in.

For more information on the Nova Southeastern University Medicinal & Healing Garden in Orlando see this article from the Sun Sentinel. The photo is  from http://www.jessedurko.com/novahealinggarden.html.

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Posted in conferences, Evidence-Based Design (EBD), Healing Garden, Healthcare | 1 Comment »

Manuscript submitted!

Sunday, February 10th, 2013
McKee Medical Center heaing garden

Healing garden at McKee Medical Center in Loveland, CO. Photo courtesy of BHA Design

Sorry for the lack of blog posts over the last couple of weeks. Clare Cooper Marcus and I were in the throes of finishing the manuscript for our book, Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces, to be published by John Wiley in Sons in October.

More details to come as the date gets closer, and I plan to post excerpts from time to time.

Here is one, something submitted by a TLN member and quoted in the book:

Having spent many weeks in the hospital left an indelible imprint on the way I experience pain, suffering, and loss within the recognized healthcare environment. Surely this fear and anxiety that one feels in this controlled and somewhat clinical building can leave one feeling more vulnerable, fragile, and scared. Just by being outside and with nature, to smell and touch the plants, reduced the depression and dread. I think more positive thoughts, am hopeful, and if I cry I feel the plants understand and do not judge or cringe.

We’ve been having great discussions on Linked In and Facebook and we generally post recent news and upcoming events there, so if you haven’t yet joined those conversations, please do!

To learn more about BHA Design’s McKee Medical Center, visit their website.

 

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Posted in Books, Evidence-Based Design (EBD), Healing Garden, Healing landscapes | Comments Off

TLN recommends: Healing garden book picks 2012

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

Healing garden books for inspiration

This is the fourth year for TLN Blog book recommendations (!). If you’re still looking for the perfect gift for someone special (including yourself), here are some recommendations for beautiful books with a healing garden theme that are sure to inspire you and your giftees. These are all books that I own and refer to again and again. There are more academic and educational books out there, which are listed on the TLN’s References page. When you buy from any of the Amazon links on this post, you’ll be supporting the Therapeutic Landscapes Network as well. Through the Amazon Associates program, the TLN receives a percentage of each book sale. This is true for Amazon purchase at any time of the year, so please bookmark the link and use it when you shop there. Of course, if you can find the books locally, all the better.

The Illustrated Practical Guide to Gardening for Seniors: How to maintain your outside space with ease into retirement and beyondMy new favorite book is Patty Cassidy’s The Illustrated Practical Guide to Gardening for Seniors: How to maintain your outside space with ease into retirement and beyond. It is so richly illustrated and will be useful to all gardeners and aspiring gardeners. However, the emphasis is really on gardening for seniors and others who have difficulty with the more physical challenges of gardening. It’s a valuable and beautiful addition to the gardening book library.

(more…)

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Posted in Books, Children, Children's Gardens, Gardening, Healing Garden, Resources | Comments Off

TLN member stories: A healing garden for canines

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
Corrie the Cairn Terrier in his "healing garden."

Corrie, enjoying some outdoor respite.

Who says healing gardens are just for people? Thanks to Marijean Stephenson, an RN and TLN member, for sharing this story:

One of my Cairn Terriers, Corrie, recently sustained a serious pelvic and spinal cord injury after being hit by a car. I returned home after working a night shift and found him at my doorstep, just waiting for me. While I was at work, Corrie had dug under the fence surrounding the yard and went out onto the road. He had apparently returned to that same place he had earlier escaped after sustaining his injury and scooted up to the doorstep of my house.

Corrie has been spending the past few days in a large veterinary ICU (Veterinary Referral Medical and Surgical Care) in Indianapolis. His prognosis is surprisingly good: he will not require surgery to repair his multiple fractures, and will eventually be able to romp around the yard like he normally had done. I had thought I would have to euthanize my dog. I still cannot believe this miracle.

After I got off work early yesterday evening, I drove to the hospital to visit him (this place has visitation 24/7). I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Corrie had been taken outside to their “healing garden” area by the veterinary staff. (more…)

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Posted in Healing Garden, Landscapes for Health | 1 Comment »

Touched by nature? Share your story!

Thursday, August 16th, 2012
Great Spangled Fritillaries. Photo by Henry Domke, http://www.henrydomke.com

Great Spangled Fritillaries on milkweed. Photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com

If you’re reading this blog, then you probably believe in the restorative power of nature, and you have probably experienced it once, or a few times, or every day of your life.

Clare Cooper Marcus and I are writing a book on therapeutic landscapes in healthcare environments (to be published by John Wiley & Sons in 2013), and we are looking to incorporate stories  – even just 1-2 sentences – by people who have been touched by nature in a positive way.

We are especially looking for stories about how a connection with nature in a hospital or other type of healthcare facility (nursing home, hospice, etc.) helped you, or a friend or loved one, or a client. Whether you are/were a patient, a visitor, a staff member, or a volunteer, if seeing or being in nature has made your life better, we want to hear about it. Or, were you ever in a situation where you or a family member desperately wanted to view or be in a garden or nature, and there was none? We’d like to hear about that, too.

If your story isn’t healthcare related but still has to do with how connecting with nature has helped you emotionally, mentally, physically, even spiritually, tell us that, too.

If you would like to share your story, please leave a comment below. This also allows others to see and hear each others’ words without having to wait for the book to come out! We will most likely use the “storyteller’s” first name and location, but this is not essential. And if this is too public a forum, you can also contact me through the TLN website: www.healinglandscapes.org/contact.

Please pass this post on to anyone else who might have a story to share.

Thank you!

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Posted in Benefits of nature, Gardening, Healing Garden, Healing landscapes, Landscapes for Health, Opportunities | 8 Comments »

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