I established and ran a green spaces project for the MH NHS Trust I work with & was lucky enough to also receive a staffrecognition award for it.
I have had patients with severe generalised anxiety dig over a plot with me & 10 minutes in tell me they feel less anxious. Our ward consultant recognises that gardening is important therapeutically and contributes to shorter in-patient stays & if confused in the community reduces readmission.
From my own perspective & my own mental health.
In 2019 I was severely assaulted by a patient while working on the ward. When I eventually returned to work lockdown happened- I had (have) PTSD. Bushcraft was my lifeline to self directed therapy while working on the frontline.
It helped me restore my confidence. I had ceased going out, avoided social media & couldn't go out socially, apart from to the homes of a few friends. I struggled to talk about what happened. (Please don't comment on this aspect of this comment- it doesn't.) Nursing staff can use reasonable force protect themselves & I did, I also had a severe concussion.
Bushcraft is something we can't really teach to our acutely unwell patients. Knives & fires are banned on our site. We do have an orchard & soft fruit garden & encourage patients to take the fruit, do cooking activities with the apples & blackberries & have our own named label of apple juice- which the patients pick, including named single variety juices such as Tom Putt & Emperor Alexander. We also have a polytunnel and an allotment.
All green spaces activities involving tools are covered by risk assessments & they are stringent.
Walks in nature, spotting and logging wildlife and year round tree recognition and owl walks were activities I have led.
I have had patients with severe generalised anxiety dig over a plot with me & 10 minutes in tell me they feel less anxious. Our ward consultant recognises that gardening is important therapeutically and contributes to shorter in-patient stays & if confused in the community reduces readmission.
From my own perspective & my own mental health.
In 2019 I was severely assaulted by a patient while working on the ward. When I eventually returned to work lockdown happened- I had (have) PTSD. Bushcraft was my lifeline to self directed therapy while working on the frontline.
It helped me restore my confidence. I had ceased going out, avoided social media & couldn't go out socially, apart from to the homes of a few friends. I struggled to talk about what happened. (Please don't comment on this aspect of this comment- it doesn't.) Nursing staff can use reasonable force protect themselves & I did, I also had a severe concussion.
Bushcraft is something we can't really teach to our acutely unwell patients. Knives & fires are banned on our site. We do have an orchard & soft fruit garden & encourage patients to take the fruit, do cooking activities with the apples & blackberries & have our own named label of apple juice- which the patients pick, including named single variety juices such as Tom Putt & Emperor Alexander. We also have a polytunnel and an allotment.
All green spaces activities involving tools are covered by risk assessments & they are stringent.
Walks in nature, spotting and logging wildlife and year round tree recognition and owl walks were activities I have led.