Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

mental and social facets. Overall health is experienced as the sum of all of
the facets of health at any one time. The perceived health state is a dynamic
process which is affected by individual meanings. In the model, health can
be improved either by enhancing positive health or by reducing negative
health, or doing both.
The objective of the therapeutic use of green care is to reduce ill-health.
It can consist of horticultural therapy, animal-assisted therapy and other
therapeutic activities, which are targeted to heal conditions related to
ill-health. Stress and attention fatigue can be seen as incapacitating states
of human body; so the recovery provided by green environments is
therapeutic.
Well-being has two dimensions: true well-being and fitness. True wellbeing
is related to the empowerment of individuals based on autonomy
and feeling of well-being. Coping resources and possibilities to use one’s
capabilities contribute to autonomy. Green care provides many possibilities
to exert control over events and situations and offers opportunities for free
choice and development of skills.
Fitness is related to an individual’s physical capacity to cope with the
demands of the environment. Green care can be used to increase the
compatibility between the individual and the environment by providing the
opportunity for physical activity and exercise in accessible and supportive
surroundings.
The suggestion based on the model of Downie et al, (2000), that health
can be promoted not only by preventing ill-health but also by enhancing
well-being and fitness, is in accordance with the salutogenic approach
described by Antonovsky (1988), in which factors maintaining good health
are emphasized (Rappe, 2005). In Antonovsky’s theory a strong sense
of coherence maintains good health by providing resources to manage
everyday strain. A sense of coherence can be achieved when stimuli derived
from the environment are comprehensible, manageable and meaningful for
an individual.
Outcomes
The outcomes of green care are difficult to prove, especially when a
biomedical disease-oriented construct of health is used. The use of a
102 Green Care: A Conceptual Framework