Care farms as a space of wellbeing for people with a learning disability in the United Kingdom

Towards cultural landscapes of care

This paper sets out a theoretical agenda for Cultural Landscapes of Care. It highlights the importance of engaging the cultural vectors within different 'care-ful geographies', in order to highlight the role of culture as both a lens of knowing a meaningful way of life, and a critical hermeneutic. Through revisiting discussions around everyday practices of care, both in this journal and elsewhere, we outline a research agenda that re-engages culture with inquiries into the relations between place and care, including spatialities of care, ethics and justice. We call for a shift to thinking with culture and its moral dimensions in order to make sense of the tensions, ambiguities and boundaries of care marked by austerity, neoliberalism and globalisation. We therefore coin the term 'cultural landscapes of care' to advance an agenda that is contextually and culturally sensitive, and committed to understanding what good care means in diverse trans-local contexts. Gathering together the papers in this collection, we show how culture 'filters' through meaningful everyday care practices. We argue for an understanding of culture as a toolkit and a condition for ethical encounters of care. Thus, we translate situated examples of caring experiences into a global standpoint of care-ful geography.

Emotional well-being in people with dementia - A comparative study of farm-based and regular day care services in Norway

There is a focus on how to provide care for the increasing number of people with dementia, and day care services have been highlighted as an important service. The present study aims to provide an in-depth comparison of the emotional well-being of participants at farm-based and regular day care services related to different aspects of the care environments. We used the Maastricht Electronic Daily Life Observation-tool to observe and register aspects of the care environment at the services. Observations took place at ten farm-based day care services, with 42 participants, and seven regular day care centres, with 46 participants. Observed mood was considered an indicator for the emotional well-being of the participants and used as the primary outcome. The analyses showed a general positive mood for all participants, regardless of type of day care service. The unadjusted analyses showed more emotional well-being for the participants at farm-based day care across a range of factors compared to regular day care. The linear mixed model found that regardless of service type the activities (1) exercise and dancing, and (2) quiz, music and spiritual activities were associated with emotional well-being. In addition, social interaction, either with one person or two or more people, were also associated with emotional well-being regardless of service type. The mixed model further demonstrated an association between attending farm-based day care services and positive mood compared to regular day care services. Based on the findings social interaction and social activities seem important to emotional well-being. This highlights the social aspect of the day care services and future research should investigate how one can facilitate good social interactions at day care services. The positive association between farm-based day care services and emotional well-being may potentially reflect a positive influence of the farm setting and the farm service providers.

Unpacking the cultural paradox of attentive care for institutionalized people with intellectual disabilities

This study contributes to the under-researched area of culture in institutional care for people with intellectual disabilities in an East Asian context. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 20 women frontline care workers for institutionalized people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan, we examined culture-specific caring relations such as the fictive kinships of Confucian care ethics (i.e., respect for elders and affection for the young), the charity paradigm, and religious compassion, which can induce attentive and respectful care in institutional spaces but also relegate residents to stigmatized subordination in a hierarchy of caring relations and legitimatize the voluntary exploitation of women workers. In situating the relational nature of care and the dis-enabling potentials of culture at the disability-care-place intersection, we promote an ethics of engagement that values and dignifies both recipients and providers of care.

Invigorating Care Farm Ecosystem Based on Public Service Innovation: Case of South Korea

Recently, the importance of care farming has been emphasized worldwide for the purpose of public health and healing, and, in particular, discussions on innovative transformation and expansion of the care farm ecosystem have continued in terms of convergence of agriculture and welfare. This study aims to present influencing factors based on a hierarchical concept framework for revitalizing care farm ecosystem based on public service innovation. To this end, the AHP methodology was used. Through previous studies, 16 variables were derived within four categories: recognition, structure, leadership, process, and recognition of variables that affect the activation of the care farm ecosystem and conceptualized them through Delphi techniques. In addition, a survey was conducted on 28 stakeholders in care farming to derive the importance of each variable. As a result of the analysis, ‘reliability’ was derived as the most important factor, followed by factors such as human competence, vision, civic participation, and innovation awareness. Hence, it was confirmed that trust and communication between stakeholders are important to lead the innovative public service ecosystem of care farm, and above all, human competence is an important influencing factor.

The Spatial Impacts of COVID-19 Restrictions on LGBTIQ Wellbeing, Visibility, and Belonging in Tasmania, Australia

International emergency management and disaster risk reduction policies and planning have rarely included lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people's specific health and wellbeing concerns, despite increasing research showing that these groups face some specific vulnerabilities and additional challenges. Emerging studies in the US and UK noted increased feelings of loneliness, minority stress, and vulnerability to family violence since the outbreak of COVID-19. However, little is known about LGBTIQ people's experiences of COVID-19 in Australia. This article explores the effects of COVID-19 on LGBTIQ mental health and wellbeing in Tasmania, Australia. Drawing on a survey of 231 LGBTIQ respondents aged 14-78, we use the spaces of wellbeing framework to examine the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on LGBTIQ (in)visibility in relation to the public, private, and online spaces, arguing that COVID-19 restrictions affected LGBTIQ Tasmanians' experiences and use of spaces in ways that detracted from wellbeing, visibility, and belonging.

Using micro-geography to understand the realisation of wellbeing: A qualitative GIS study of three social enterprises

Social enterprises are promoted as a method of welfare reform, to transition people out of disadvantage by addressing poverty, unfulfilled capabilities and social exclusion. This study explores how three Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) in Australia help to realise wellbeing for their employees by mapping their micro-geographical experience of wellbeing. By mapping the sites within a social enterprise where wellbeing is realised, we provide a practical, empirical and replicable methodology that is useful for gaining insights into where and how wellbeing realisation occurs. This situates wellbeing as an upstream place-based resource likely to influence downstream health outcomes.

More Than Words: The Use of Video in Ethnographic Research With People With Intellectual Disabilities

There is a tendency to exclude people with intellectual disabilities from participating in research about their own lives. While the use of participatory research approaches is increasing, the methods used for engaging people with intellectual disabilities in research are generally limited to interviews and focus groups. Yet a focus on the spoken or written word can present a challenge for those who may prefer to use alternative forms of communication. The purpose of this article is to share the methodological insights gained from a visual ethnographic study that sought to explore the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities engaged in nature based (or "green care") therapeutic interventions for health and well-being. If used within carefully negotiated relationships, we suggest that video can be an empowering visual medium for doing research that can help to elicit the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities firsthand, without having to rely on the views and perspectives of other people.