How plants are bringing healing to care patients
How plants are bringing healing to care patients
2024-04-07
We shall now turn to the power of plants. For many people, a forest hike or spending time in the garden is a surefire way to relax. At medical and care institutions across Taiwan, the power of plants is well known, and is being used to improve the lives of patients. Today we visit a care home in New Taipei, where horticultural therapy helps residents cast their troubles away. We also see how virtual forest hikes bring joy to hospice patients at the end of their lives. Our Sunday special report.
Students try to tell what seeds are inside the shakers. This is the weekly horticultural therapy session at the Bali Ai-Hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in New Taipei.
Today, the therapist is taking residents to experience spices and herbs through the five senses. They look at them, touch them, smell them and even have a taste.
The horticultural therapy program started in 2008 and has been running for more than 15 years. The past five years, the program has been led by Chang Po-jan.
Chang Po-jan
Horticultural therapist
They all have severe and extremely severe disabilities, or have multiple disabilities. Some of them can only communicate through facial expressions or by making sounds. Sometimes they move their eyes and that’s how you know whether they like something or not, if they are feeling happy or if something’s up.
Hsieh Hsin-ming
Bali Ai-Hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities
Our residents are interested in taking part in courses like this. They get very invested in them. So I think there should be more courses like this.
She opens the door to the garden and everyone rushes out to bask in the sunshine and be one with nature. Discarded hospital beds have been converted into planters, allowing wheelchair users to get up close with the greens.
Specially designed spades and gardening tools let residents with limited mobility have a go at turning over the soil and planting seeds.
Chang Po-jan
Horticultural therapist
They can put the seeds in this slide to slide them into the holes. That makes it easier to plant the seeds.
Watering the plants is a fun activity that is actually part of rehabilitation. This is what horticultural therapy is all about. Getting close to plants and tending them helps participants relax and relieve stress. This form of therapy has been popular internationally for many years. Therapists act as a bridge between humans and plants.
Chang Po-jan
Horticultural therapist
People often think that horticultural therapists do our jobs to heal others. But after being in this profession for a long time, we realize that we ourselves are being healed.
She maneuvers her wheelchair all around the garden, inspecting every plant. This is Lin Li-hsueh’s routine.
She’s lived in the home for 30 years, and she pours her heart into gardening.
Lin Li-hsueh
Bali Ai-Hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities resident
It’s kind of like taking care of a baby. You have to care for them, cherish them and tend to them patiently. I’m very happy. You realize that all your troubles aren’t actually troubles when you are immersed in gardening. I like being with my plants.
With muddy hands, Weng Yen-ju is having fun playing with the soil.
Weng Yen-ju
Bali Ai-Hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities resident
You can see how seeds become shoots and eventually bear fruit. To me, it is quite encouraging. No matter what you look like, or whether you can walk or not, you have your own life and a place to showcase your strengths. It reminds me not to give up.
Sunlight trickles through the thick foliage of towering trees.
Yu Chia-pin
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
At the beginning, I was feeling symptoms of depression after certain life events. When I got in touch with nature, it improved my physical and mental wellbeing.
Nature can soothe the soul, and that is something that NTU forestry professor Yu Chia-pin has experienced firsthand. Over the years, he has become an advocate and pioneer of forest therapy in Taiwan.
Yu Chia-pin
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
To a certain extent it’s about how the natural environment and leisure activities can boost health. When that’s taken into the forest, we refer to it as forest therapy.
Today, Yu has brought filming equipment up Yangmingshan to capture the landscape at Lengshuikeng.
On the tripod is a 360-degree spherical camera with six lenses to film the tranquility of the forest.
Yu Chia-pin
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
Nowadays we have advanced technology. You can watch the footage of this 360-degree camera live on your phone to check whether you like the scene or whether it suits your purposes. See? These are the images captured by the cameras from different angles. Of course, the better the image quality, the higher the resolution, and therefore the more immersive it feels. I take videos in 360 degrees, and record the sounds to get the full effect.
The healing power of forests has been proven by science.
Chen Chun-lin
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital psychiatrist
A medical study from 1984 found that patients who had undergone surgery recovered faster when they were put in hospital beds outside with greenery and trees. This has been known since the ’80s.
This class led by Yu isn’t just about virtual reality. It’s also about social responsibility, and how to use technology to bring the power of nature to more people.
Yu Chia-pin
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
The VR productions made by previous class participants have been used in many different places, for example the hospice ward at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital.
Most patients in hospice care have little physical strength, making a trip into nature a luxury they can’t afford. NTU’s forestry department brought VR into the ward to make their wishes come true.
Lin Hsin-i
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital counselor
After the patient put on the goggles, we created a breeze and used essential oils to give him the feeling that he was really in the forest. It’s 360 degrees, so it’s very immersive. It’s not like watching a video. You perceive the environment very directly.
Yu Chia-pin
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
The short escape from the hospital cheered him up a lot. It can really help with people’s physical and mental wellbeing. That’s what moved me the most.
At Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, the hospice ward has a secret garden, with more than 50 kinds of plants spread over 300 pings. This green oasis is where patients, their families and medical staff can take a breather. As long as the patient’s condition permits it, they can leave the ward and enjoy the bliss of nature without leaving the hospital.
Lin Hsin-i
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital counselor
Patients can be taken to the garden to spend time with people, with their families, and to reconnect with nature. That way they don’t feel like they are cooped up in their wards all the time.
The scent of flowers, the gentle breeze and the warm sun are a natural feast for the senses. For one cancer patient in particular, the garden was a major mood boost, especially paired with blowing bubbles into the air.
Some patients in hospice care are able to be discharged. But for others, the hospital is where they’ll spend their final days.
Lin Hsin-i
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital counselor
The patient’s condition had been deteriorating for some days. His daughter asked us whether we could let him pass away in the garden. That posed a big challenge for us, especially when it came to timing, as we didn’t know when he would pass. It so happened that the weather was good, so I told her we’d go out at noon. I brought him out and we pushed his bed outside. He appeared to be at peace, looking at the blue sky dotted with white clouds. I looked at his eyes. For me, seeing the reflection of the sky in his eyes is a precious moment I cherish.
Chen Chun-lin
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital
I advise everyone to have about 10 potted plants at home. Every day, before you go to work and after you come back home, you can spend 10 minutes checking on them. Just calm down and connect with the plants and the trees. It’s something that can help you wind down, and forget about all the rest.
Be it small potted plants at home or lush forests outside, nature is proven to bring peace of mind. So step outside, slow down and take it all in, to set aside the troubles of daily life.
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尋覓心靈忘憂草
2024-04-07
接觸植物、走進森林，很多人會感到放鬆，科學也證實，大自然可以幫助抒壓、疾病復原、甚至增加幸福感。新北市的八里教養院15年來持續以「園藝治療」協助院生撫平情緒，找到成就感。台大森林系也有教授力推「森林療癒」，還以360度攝影機取景，製成VR虛擬實境，讓一些無法踏出戶外的長者或病患，也能運用科技感受大自然的療癒力。這綠色處方箋有多神奇？帶您一塊兒體驗。
搖一搖，聽聽看，聽聲辨物，這是八里愛心教養院每週一次的園藝治療課。
這天園藝治療師帶領院生，體驗各種辛香料，從觀察、觸摸、聞一聞，甚至淺嚐味道，打開五感的體驗。
園藝治療課從2008年開始，已經持續了15年多，帶領課程的園藝治療師張博然 也已接手5年。
[[園藝治療師 張博然]]
“他們都是重度跟極重度的，多重障礙的院生，所以我們只能透過看表情，或者發出的一點點聲音，或者甚至於只是眼球的轉動，你就會知道他喜歡，還是不喜歡，或者他心情現在是開心，還是怎麼了。”
[[八里愛心教養院院長 謝鑫敏]]
“院生本身也有興趣，在參與這樣的過程中，非常地投入，所以我們覺得這樣的課程可以持續地推展。”
打開空中花園的大門，迎接陽光和綠意，院生興奮之情全寫在臉上。運用廢棄醫療床架高的花圃，讓乘坐輪椅的院生，能夠近距離觸碰花花草草。
配合加長的鏟子和特殊設計的器具，肢體不太方便的院生也能享受翻土播種的樂趣。
[[園藝治療師 張博然]]
“他們種子可以拿了從滑板上面滑下去，就可以比較容易地完成播種。”
澆水變成了遊戲，無形中落實復健，這就是「園藝治療」，透過植物和園藝，有助於放鬆和紓壓，這種輔助療法在國外行之多年，而園藝治療師正是搭起人和植物互動的橋梁。
[[園藝治療師 張博然]]
“一般會覺得我們園藝治療師去療癒別人，可是其實我們後來做這個行業久了之後，會覺得其實被療癒的反而是自己。”
駕著電動輪椅在花園四處觀看，是林麗雪每天的例行公事。
住在機構三十年的她，因為種植花草，心靈有了新的寄託。
[[八里愛心教養院院生 林麗雪]]
“讓我想到那種，一般在顧小寶寶的概念。要養它，要很耐心地去呵護、照料。很開心啊，就會覺得，原來所有的煩惱都不是煩惱，沉浸在種植上面，我喜歡跟植物在一起的感覺。”
兩隻手正沾滿泥土的翁彥如，玩得很開心。
[[八里愛心教養院院生 翁彥如]]
“我看到種子變成發芽到結果，讓我感覺到，它其實在鼓勵我們，不管你長什麼樣子，不管你會不會走路，可是你都有自己的生活，可以展現自己優勢的地方，所以告訴我不要放棄。”
參天大樹直竄雲霄，陽光穿透鬱鬱蔥蔥的樹林，撒落大地。
[[台灣大學森林環資系教授 余家斌]]
“最早一開始是我一些人生的經驗，造成我自己有一些憂鬱的症狀。接觸了大自然以後，我覺得某種程度改善了我的身心狀態。”
大自然的神奇力量撫慰傷痛，台大森林系教授余家斌親身感受到這股神祕力量 多年來他成了森林療癒的推廣者和實踐者。
[[台灣大學森林環資系教授 余家斌]]
“某種程度來說，它其實就是自然環境跟休閒活動，怎麼樣促進人的健康，在森林領域的話，就叫森林療癒。”
這天，台大森林系團隊帶著器材到陽明山冷水坑取景。
架起腳架，360度的球體攝影機有六顆鏡頭，可以完整捕捉森林的寧靜與純淨。
[[台灣大學森林環資系教授 余家斌]]
“現在科技其實很發達，這個360度的影像，其實可以同步即時在手機看，看到當下的場景是不是你喜歡的，或者是適合的，所以你看，這個就是各個鏡頭裡面 不同角度的影像。當然畫質越好，拍出來的解析度越好，當然沉浸感是越好的，所以才可以這樣子360度的取樣，收到它的聲音，收到它景象的效果。”
森林綠意帶來的療癒，其實有科學根據。
[[亞東醫院精神科主治醫師 陳俊霖]]
“1984年就有醫學的論文在描述，讓開完刀的病患能夠住在外面有綠樹的病床，這樣子的話，傷口復原是比較快的，大概從80年代就知道。”
從森林到課堂，教授余家斌這堂課教的不只是VR虛擬實境，更多的是社會責任的實踐，用科技讓大自然的魔力，感染更多人 。
[[台灣大學森林環資系教授 余家斌]]
“你們學長姐在做的一些虛擬實境的內容，有把它放到不同地方的運用，像是亞東醫院安寧病房。”
安寧病房的多數病友已心有餘而力不足，想要再次走進大自然，成了奢望。台大森林系團隊透過VR虛擬實境，幫病友圓夢。
[[亞東醫院諮商心理師 林欣怡]]
“我們讓他戴上去之後，去加點風，加點精油，就是有在森林的這種感覺，因為它是360度沉浸的，不是只是看一個影片，所以他的現場感會很直接。”
[[台灣大學森林環資系教授 余家斌]]
“短暫的時間抽離了醫院的場景，他覺得心情非常好。對他們身心健康有幫助，我覺得那就是最大的感動。”
這裡是亞東醫院馨寧病房，300坪的祕密花園，孕育著超過50種生物，醫院刻意保留的綠意，讓病患和家屬或醫護人員有個喘息空間，只要病患的狀況許可，能夠離開病房，一分一秒都是幸福。
[[亞東醫院諮商心理師 林欣怡]]
“帶著病人到花園去，就會有跟人的互動，還有跟他自己家人的互動，跟這個環境重新有連結，他就不會是只有困在自己的病床上的感覺。”
聞到了花香，感受到了徐徐微風，和暖呼呼的太陽，大自然給予的美好，讓癌症病友心情特別好，童心未泯地玩起泡泡。
癌末的黃先生住院兩週後回家休養，但有些安寧病房的病人，在這裡走向人生最後一哩路。
[[亞東醫院諮商心理師 林欣怡]]
“在爸爸後面幾天狀況不是很好的時候，她(病患女兒)就有問說，爸爸可不可以在花園臨終？其實這對我們來講是很大的挑戰，因為我們很難抓那個時間，什麼時候他會離開，但那天剛好天氣很好，就跟她說中午，我說還是我們現在就帶爸爸出去，我們也就推著床到外面去，就看到藍天白雲的感覺，就是很舒服。我也是看著那眼睛，我覺得對於人來講，那個眼睛映照著藍天白雲，是很珍貴的一個畫面。”
[[亞東醫院精神科主治醫師 陳俊霖]]
“建議大家，自己在家裡可以種個大概10盆的小盆栽，你每天上班下班就可以提醒自己，有個十分鐘去看看你的植物。那個時間點就順便要讓自己靜下來，你跟樹，跟植物產生連結。另外一方面，又讓你好像比較能夠靜下心來，暫時忘掉其他的事情。”
小到一盆盆栽，大到一整片森林，都能減緩焦慮。心靈的忘憂草其實無處不在，只要你放慢腳步，用身心靈，去細細感受。
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