Nature-based interventions for bereavement care: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review is to understand the types of nature-based interventions currently used in bereavement care and to map the theories of change explaining how such interventions may support bereavement care.

INTRODUCTION

Bereavement can be associated with adverse psychosocial health outcomes. Nature-based interventions have been shown to have positive health and well-being outcomes, and offer diverse and flexible design and delivery options. However, this is an emerging field, and there is a need to explore the literature on the different types of nature-based interventions used in bereavement care and to identify the underpinning theories of change.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review will include studies or reviews of participants who have experienced bereavement following the death of a loved one, and who have taken part in a nature-based intervention (eg, animal-assisted therapy, care farming, therapeutic horticulture, community gardens). Considering all nature contexts and geographic locations, this review will include studies that explore the role of nature-based interventions in bereavement care.

METHODS

Searches will be conducted in eight databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Science Database (ProQuest), PTSDpubs (ProQuest), and Research Library: Health and Medicine (ProQuest). Manual searches of reference lists of included full-text articles and keyword searches of prominent journals will be conducted. Data on the type of nature-based intervention, target sample, health outcomes, measures and methods used, and theory of change will be extracted from selected articles. The data extraction results will be presented in tabular format along with a narrative summary.

Where birds felt louder: The garden as a refuge during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries experienced something of a boom in interest in gardening. Gardens have long been considered as refuges into which we retreat to escape various struggles and challenges. In this study we examine the characteristics and functions of the garden as a refuge during the period of increased garden interest associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of qualitative results about garden experiences from 3,743 survey respondents revealed intertwining garden and emotional geographies. Utilising non-representational and therapeutic landscape theories, we found multifarious and heightened experiences of non-material aspects of gardens; that is, the sensory and emotional aspects. People experienced, for example, a sense of joy, beauty, and reassurance, a greater attunement to the natural world and an increased sense of nature connection than they had at other times: birds felt louder. These heightened sensory and emotional experiences had therapeutic benefits, across age and geographical spectrums, during these difficult times. This research improves our understandings of the positive potential of non-material aspects of gardens in the creation of therapeutic landscapes in and beyond COVID-19.

Roof-Harvested Rainwater Use in Household Agriculture: Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Food and water are at the heart of sustainable development. Roof-harvested rainwater kept in rainwater storage systems (RSS) and used in household agriculture (HA) has the potential to increase yields and supplement household nutrition. Combined systems may contribute to at least eight of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this paper, a daily analysis tool, ERain, is used to assess what area of vegetables can be reliably irrigated by roof-harvested rainwater. A socio-economic context is built around an orphanage in the semi-humid region of Nakuru, Kenya. Comparisons are made with the semi-arid region of East Pokot. A 225 kL closed masonry tank and a 1 ML open reservoir with an additional 8 kL/day of recycled water entering are analyzed for various roof sizes. The 225 kL RSS connected to 1000 m2 of roof and irrigating 1000 m2 could increase yields from 1850 to 4200 kg/year in Nakuru. If evaporation was controlled, the 1 mL RSS and recycled water system could support 4000 m2 of land, yielding nearly 20,000 kg/year, which is enough to meet the WHO recommended vegetable dietary requirements of the orphanage. A combination of crops, some for consumption and some for sale, could be grown.

The landscape of dementia inclusivity

A supported community gardening program became appealing and therapeutically beneficial to people living with the impacts of dementia and their carers, despite not targeting either cohort specifically. This paper discusses how this program provides insights into the landscape of dementia inclusivity. The gardens involved were spaces that allowed positive risk-taking opportunities, respectful intersubjectivity and active citizenship. Our research findings indicate that a meaningful response to the rising incidence of dementia may be to build upon social and geographical attributes of community gardens. Understanding the multifaceted nature of a dementia inclusive landscape will enable authentic engagement and rights-based support for people living with the impacts of dementia.

End-of-Life care in a community garden: Findings from a Participatory Action Research project in regional Australia

This article presents findings from research that explored how a community garden might function as a place of end-of-life and bereavement support. Adopting Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods, and informed by Third Place theory and notions of therapeutic landscape, creative consultations were held in the Garden and people's homes. The findings provide insights into the nature of informal care as it is played out in the liminal garden space, between home and institution. The results illuminate the therapeutic landscape of community gardens, and contribute new understandings to the fields of PAR, health geography and end-of-life care.

"When This Breaks Down, It's Black Gold": Race and Gender in Agricultural Health and Safety

Farmers are growing older, and fewer new agriculturists are rising to take their place. Concurrently, women and minorities are entering agriculture at an increasing rate. These rates are particularly curious viewed in light of the racialized and gendered nature of agriculture. Slavery and agriculture share strong historical roots, with many male slaves performing agricultural labor. So then, why would African American women choose to engage in agriculture in any form? Participant observation and in-depth interviews with a group of African American women urban farmers in the southeastern United States were asked this question. Interviews with seven such women revealed their perception of self-sustainable small-scale agriculture as a departure from, not return to, slavery. The women drew metaphors between the Earth and femininity, believing their work to be uniquely feminine. Production of food for consumption and trade provides a source for community and healthy food amid urban poverty and the plight of food deserts. These data encourage agricultural health and safety professionals and researchers to tackle the health-promoting nature of such work, with the entrée of anthropology and other social sciences into the field. In many ways, these women portrayed small-scale food cultivation as an important component of, rather than a threat to, health and safety. Indeed, they viewed such labor as wholly health promoting. Their strong social connections provide a potential means for community-led dissemination of any relevant health and safety information.