O Jardim como espaço terapêutico | The Garden as a therapeutic place (original) (raw)

The main focus of this talk is the study of the garden as a therapeutic place, highlighting its contribution to the humanization of hospitals, namely, to the input to therapeutic processes enhancement, to improve patients wellbeing, to increase of the staff satisfaction and quality of the services provided by them, and to offer better conditions of comfort and support to families and visitors. Several gardens in healthcare institutions were analysed. They underline its importance towards the establishment of the concept of therapeutic garden, demonstrating that on several periods in history nature and gardens where interpreted as therapeutic agents, healing places and as promoters of pain and stress relief. Furthermore, we discuss the specific and possible benefits of therapeutic gardens on health and wellbeing of hospital users with special focus on patients. For benefits to occur, the planning and design of the therapeutic garden as well as its integration with the hospital as a whole are of crucial importance. Therefore, in this communication a set of guiding design principles is presented able to be applied in a flexible way in hospitals. Taking into consideration that a void exists in this subject in Portugal, contradicting the international tendency, as project and construction of therapeutic gardens is concerned, a case study – the Pedro Hispano Hospital - is analysed and conceptualised as a small contribution and incentive towards the implementation of therapeutic gardens in Portuguese hospitals. The therapeutic garden design principles are applied to the outdoors of Pedro Hispano Hospital opposing and going beyond the present situation. Finally, we concluded the therapeutic garden is an effective tool, able to promote and consolidate the objective of hospitals humanization, maximizing the quality and intensity of positive interactions presented to the user.