Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

labour to help in the production of food. The production of food itself is
also likely to have substantial psychological benefits for those members of
the community involved in it. Such approaches represent the ‘greening of
medical, psychiatric and social care’.
8.3 Epilogue: the way forward
Within this document, we as researchers and practitioners, have tried to
paint as full a picture of green care as is possible. We have described its
components and its links and interactions with other systems, processes,
frameworks and theories. We have reiterated the need for more research,
for more evidence of effectiveness and have discussed the difficulties that
researchers face in this field. We see that there are both practical difficulties
in conducting the studies and philosophical difficulties with regards both to
the methodology and the perceived need for ‘hard’ evidence.
At the outset we have made clear our position – that we believe that nature
is a valuable asset within many different therapeutic contexts. It is not our
task as researchers to set out to find the proof that green care works; but
rather to further the understanding of how those interventions we call green
care may indeed be beneficial; to whom they should be applied and in
what context; and also under what circumstances it may be contraindicated
or harmful. In all of the research on green care that we have examined,
we have seen no reports of adverse reactions or of any negative views.
Understanding the thoughts of those who say they do not like gardening or
being outdoors or touching animals may well help us to include those who
feel excluded from green care or even disconnected from nature itself.
There is now an overwhelming body of evidence that shows that the
natural environment is beneficial to health and well-being. It is clear that
it is valued by those who seek their recreation and leisure in the outdoors
and by those who are participants of green care programmes. We can
see opportunities where nature can be placed within existing therapies,
for example, within therapeutic communities and occupational therapy
departments. This will not instantly create new green care projects but it
will help to spread the greening of medical, social and psychiatric services
which was discussed in the previous section. The continued monitoring
of such services and indeed of green care projects, in addition to other
research approaches discussed earlier in this report, will help to build up a
detailed understanding of green care that is robust.
118 Green Care: A Conceptual Framework