"I Am Fit and Fast" : Green Care Experienced by the Disabled Clients of Kisälli-Harjulanmäki
Bergman, Marikka (2017)
Bergman, Marikka
Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201703173408
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201703173408
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was to acquire new information on how disabled clients experience Green Care activities. The thesis was commissioned from a company actively using the method, Kisälli-Harjulanmäki, who especially wished for a qualitative research of this topic done from the hermeneutical perspective. The aim of the thesis was to make the voices of the disabled themselves be heard and increase the understanding of their experience.
The research data was gathered from two sources: from observational notes, in which the researcher documented every Green Care activity she performed with the clients in the summer of 2015, and four interviews that were executed in the fall of 2016. The observed client group consisted altogether of seven clients. The interviews were executed with the four clients who had speaking skills, and the focused semi-structured interviewing method was used.
The findings of the thesis show that the most liked Green Care activity for the clients was walking; descriptions of the good feeling clients get during and after the walks were unanimous. All appreciated the fact that,thanks to frequent exercise, they were in good shape.
Perceiving larger landscapes was a challenge for the clients. Their focus and interest seemed to be on small details like berries for gathering, or inanimate machines they ran into during the walks. Still, they seemed to appreciate nature.
The clients´attitude to animals proved to be quite distant, since even long term horseback riders had little interest for their horses. Animal species also got quite easily mixed up in the clients´memory, which again shows that they were not the most interesting aspect of Green Care for them. Still, they had noticed that caring for the animals rehabilitated their skills of memory and organization.
The Green Care activity of gardening was enjoyable for the clients, the center of their enthusiasm being the harvest: the gathering and especially eating it. The disabled were quite dependent on their counselor´s help in all Green Care activities. The counselor helped them with understanding meanings of experiences and memory problems; verbalized the Green Care experience for them.
Conclusion of the study is that the disabled seem to get many positive experiences from Green Care activities led by a professional counselor. Even though the disabled perceive some aspects of Green Care activities differently, the activities are beneficial and rehabilitating for them. Therefore this study recommends Green Care for the disabled.
The research data was gathered from two sources: from observational notes, in which the researcher documented every Green Care activity she performed with the clients in the summer of 2015, and four interviews that were executed in the fall of 2016. The observed client group consisted altogether of seven clients. The interviews were executed with the four clients who had speaking skills, and the focused semi-structured interviewing method was used.
The findings of the thesis show that the most liked Green Care activity for the clients was walking; descriptions of the good feeling clients get during and after the walks were unanimous. All appreciated the fact that,thanks to frequent exercise, they were in good shape.
Perceiving larger landscapes was a challenge for the clients. Their focus and interest seemed to be on small details like berries for gathering, or inanimate machines they ran into during the walks. Still, they seemed to appreciate nature.
The clients´attitude to animals proved to be quite distant, since even long term horseback riders had little interest for their horses. Animal species also got quite easily mixed up in the clients´memory, which again shows that they were not the most interesting aspect of Green Care for them. Still, they had noticed that caring for the animals rehabilitated their skills of memory and organization.
The Green Care activity of gardening was enjoyable for the clients, the center of their enthusiasm being the harvest: the gathering and especially eating it. The disabled were quite dependent on their counselor´s help in all Green Care activities. The counselor helped them with understanding meanings of experiences and memory problems; verbalized the Green Care experience for them.
Conclusion of the study is that the disabled seem to get many positive experiences from Green Care activities led by a professional counselor. Even though the disabled perceive some aspects of Green Care activities differently, the activities are beneficial and rehabilitating for them. Therefore this study recommends Green Care for the disabled.