designing therapeutic gardens for healing in nursing homes

Designing Therapeutic Gardens for Healing in

Nursing Homes

2017

Source: Action Plan for Successful Ageing, MOH Publication

Designing therapeutic gardens for healing

2017

The estimated prevalence of dementia is 10% amongst the

elderly aged 60 and above. With rapid population ageing,

the number of people living with dementia will increase.

Source: Looking To The Future, AIC Publication


2017

Creating healing environment to improve Quality of Life in the nursing home. improve mood and ease anxiety reduce agitation in residents with Dementia provide sensory stimulation encourage autonomy and promote ambulation encourage social interaction


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2017

Challenges & Strategies:

o Site/Space Constraint

- pocket gardens at high levels

- ‘borrowing’ landscape from neighbours

o Maintenance Concerns

- ease of maintenance

- selection of low-maintenance plants


2017

Senior Care

Centre

DROP

OFF

FUTURE

HEALTHCARE

FACILITY

ELDERLY

FITNESS

CORNER

SENIOR

ACTIVITY

CENTRE

COMMUNAL

LIVING RM

Hard court

Studio

Apartments

Studio

Apartments

Borrowed Landscape • Integration into the neighbourhood

– Shared communal landscape

– Fenceless design concept

1st Storey Plan

Credit: Forum Architects

Community Garden

Chess Garden

Sensory Garden

Pockets of themed gardens - active and passive

activities - for nursing home

residents and the

larger community

Designing therapeutic gardens for healing:

Tampines Nursing Home

2017

Chess Garden

Community Garden

One large common garden to enjoy and interact



2017

Sensory Garden – Plant Palette

Aglaia odorata

o Relieves

pain in

rheumatic

joints,

injuries from

falls,

superficial

infections

Orthosiphon

aristatus ‘Purple’

oAnti diabetic

Ficus auriculata

o Latex applied on cuts

and wounds, used in

the treatment of

diarrhoea and

dysentery

Rehabilitat

ion area Dining area

Activity

area

Receptio

n

Lantana camara

‘Hybrida’

oSmell, sight

Rhodomyrtus

tomentosa

oTouch, furry

leaves

Ixora ‘Super pink’

oTaste, reliving

childhood

memorie

Heliconia ‘American

dwarf’

oSight, reliving

childhood

memories

• Smell

– Scented plants are provided like Aglaia odorata, Lantana camara

• Taste

– Edible plants and growing areas for edible plants are provided like

Orthosiphon, Ixora

Plants for Smell

Plants for Taste

1st Storey Plan



2017


Aglaia odorata o Relieves

pain in

rheumatic

joints,

injuries

from falls,

superficial

infections

Orthosiphon

aristatus

‘Purple’ oAnti diabetic

Ficus auriculata o Latex applied on

cuts and wounds,

used in the

treatment of

diarrhoea and

dysentery

Rehabilitati

on area Dining area

Activity

area

Receptio

n

Lantana camara

‘Hybrida’ oSmell, sight

Rhodomyrtus

tomentosa oTouch, furry

leaves

Ixora ‘Super

pink’ oTaste, reliving

childhood

memorie

Heliconia

‘American dwarf’ oSight, reliving

childhood

memories

• Colour

– Therapeutic areas are colourful with a variety of plants at all levels

– Eg. Lantana, Ixora, Ficus, Agalaia, Orthosiphon, Rhodomyrtus, Heliconia,

Bucida, Flacourtia, Schefflera, etc.

1st Storey Plan



2017


Aglaia odorata

o Relieves

pain in

rheumatic

joints,

injuries from

falls,

superficial

infections

Orthosiphon

aristatus ‘Purple’

oAnti diabetic

Ficus auriculata

o Latex applied on cuts

and wounds, used in

the treatment of

diarrhoea and

dysentery

Rehabilitat

ion area Dining area

Activity

area

Receptio

n

Lantana camara

‘Hybrida’

oSmell, sight

Rhodomyrtus

tomentosa

oTouch, furry

leaves

Ixora ‘Super pink’

oTaste, reliving

childhood

memorie

Heliconia ‘American

dwarf’

oSight, reliving

childhood

memories

• Touch

– Plants with texture presence like Ficus auriculata, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa

• Evoke Memories

– Plants like Orthosiphon, Ixora and ficus are used, eaten during childhood

times, evoking memories. Plants are also not toxic and not thorny

Plants for Touch

Plants that

evoke memories

1st Storey Plan

Poisonous

Thorny

Attracts Insects



2017

Zoning

• Active zone

– Elderly-friendly outdoor fitness area

• Passive zone

– Spaces for seating and strolling

– Seats are placed opposite each

other to encourage interaction.

PHYSIOTHERAPHY

DINING HALL

CUM MULTI-

PURPOSE HALL

VISITOR

LOUNGE

Bo

un

da

ry Lin

e

Boundary Line

Bo

un

da

ry L

ine

2nd Storey Plan

PASSIVE

ZONE

ACTIVE

ZONE

FACILITIES LIST

1. Timber Platform Seat

2. Integrated Seat within the Raised up

Planter Box

3. Elderly Fitness Corner

1

2

2 2

3

36

37

mm

. 4

36

3m

m.

3654mm.

3503mm.

2

1

1

2

exercise, reflection and passing time



2017

Wheelchair accessibility

• Planter boxes within the community garden are designed as such to be

accessible by both ambulant and wheelchair-bound seniors

1

1 1

480

1150

12

0

80

0

200

different heights and profiles



2017

• Site bounded by roads

• Sheltered linkage to

HDB blocks

• Fenceless

- a sense of inclusion

Credit: Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd


Woodlands Care Home

2017

DRAFT

Dementia-Friendly Design : Empowerment and Autonomy

Handrails are designed around the

centre of the Wandering Garden

Push Carts

Single seater

seat

positioned

next to

wheelchair

bound

residents

Two seater

seat in a

semi-private

space

Nostalgic

Bus-Stop

Chess Garden

Gardening

Corner

Making choices with a variety of activity spaces


Woodlands Care Home

2017

DRAFT

Dementia-Friendly Design : Meaningful Participation

Nostalgic bus stop shelter

Chess garden

Push cart

A bus stop shelter to provide shade for 3-4 residents.

A passive zone space is provided for

wheelchair bound residents to be positioned next to family and caregivers.

An active zone for group activity.


Woodlands Care Home

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2017

DRAFT

Gardening Corner

Dementia-Friendly Design : Meaningful Participation


Woodlands Care Home

2017

DRAFT

Planting Palette of the Wandering Garden

Trees for colours

Trees for shade


Woodlands Care Home

2017

DRAFT

Orthosiphon aristatus

‘Purple’

Gardenia jasminoides Asystasia gangetica Hymenocallis speciosa Wedelia trilobata

A-Shrubs for colours

Osmoxylon lineare Schefflera arboricola

B- Foliage Shrubs for texture C- Ground cover for texture

Phyllanthus myrtifolius

Ocimum basilicum

D-Community garden planting

Cymbopogon

citratus

Murraya koenigii

A

A

D

B

C

Shrub Species

Planting Palette of the Wandering Garden

Sensory Stimulation


Woodlands Care Home

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2017

Pocket Therapeutic Gardens on every floor

• A therapeutic environment relies on natural light

and fresh clean air. The building form articulated to

allow daylight and natural ventilation to pass

through the internal volumes.

• Lush planters with shrubs and flowers are sprinkled

through the common areas to allow everyone to

experience nature as a tamed landscape, with

views overlooking the park beyond. It is no longer a

sterile facility but a Home in a Garden.


2017

PARK

SCHOOL

NURSING

HOME

A Porous Building

• Balancing intelligent use of passive design with

gardens to create a high quality living and working

environment.

• A sense of the outdoors.

• Porosity in terms of

views and access

routes.

View of the Park + View of the Indoor Gardens


2017

• Seamless integration with the

neighbouring park.

• Landscaped communal plaza

for the nursing home residents

and the community.

• Connects and extends the Park

into the Nursing Home

• Barrier-free accessibility

between local park amenities

and gardens.

• Simple layout and circulation

routes.

Integration Strategies

PARK

Senior Fitness

Corner Communal

Plaza


©2017 MOH Holdings Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.

2017

Shelter Within Nature

• Sheltered and landscaped

communal plaza invites people

to take refuge from the rain and

still relax and socialise within

nature.

• Garden benches, chess

table/seats and garden swing

offer a choice of destination

within the therapeutic gardens,

allowing people to connect to

nature.

Integration with

neighbouring park

Communal Plaza


2017

Contextual Tree Selection

- Echoing the surrounding plant palette.

- Seamlessly borrow landscape.

- Blend with context and invite nature into the building.

‘One Big Garden’


2017

- A lush variety of interesting plants eases the stress of both

residents and care workers.

Therapeutic Home


2017

Themed Gardens as a

Wayfinding Strategy

• Wayfinding motifs are

displayed graphically from

floor to floor, reflecting the

actual plant species used.

Plants are carefully

selected to compliment

each other as themes.

• A sense of biophilia is

encouraged in residents,

as they develop a

fondness for the certain

plant theme that reminds

them of where they stay.


2017

• Plants help to control the climate within a passively ventilated space and allows

a steady, sustainable and consistent environment for living and working in.

• Contact with nature is proven to reduce stress.

• The staff quarters contain plants that are visible and fragrant at night.

Therapeutic Workplace


2017

Design

Implement

Survey Evaluate

Analyse

Evidence-Based Design


designing therapeutic gardens for healing in nursing homes

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