School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Street address: 22-30 Park Avenue, Grafton, Mailing address: Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Street address: 22-30 Park Avenue, Grafton, Mailing address: Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
Soc Sci Med. 2021 Nov;288:113232. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113232. Epub 2020 Jul 24.
For older people gardens may be paradoxical sites. Whilst gardening is associated in multiple ways with wellbeing and health, gardens may also become a source of frustration and worry as ageing bodies limit gardening activities. Yet determination remains. However, little of the well-established body of work on gardens and old age includes people in advanced age. In this paper, we draw on interviews with Māori and non-Māori 85-90-year olds in Aotearoa, New Zealand, focusing on how they talk about their wellbeing in relation to past, present, and future experiences of home gardening. Our research shows home gardens and gardening figure prominently and positively in the narratives of people in advanced age. Most of our participants described themselves as active gardeners; most also lived with multimorbidity, sometimes severe and complex. Applying positioning theory, we examine how our participants connect gardens and gardening to identity; connectedness; and adaptation and renegotiation of health and wellbeing in ageing bodies. Home gardens are 'more than therapeutic'; while they are protective of health and wellbeing, they are also enabling places for the expression and performance of agency in advanced age. These understandings have practical implications for supporting wellbeing amongst those in advanced age.
对于老年人来说，花园可能是一个矛盾的地方。虽然园艺在多个方面与健康和幸福感相关，但随着身体的衰老限制了园艺活动，花园也可能成为挫折和担忧的来源。然而，他们仍然充满决心。然而，在关于花园和老年的成熟研究中，很少有包括老年人的内容。在本文中，我们借鉴了新西兰奥特亚罗瓦的 85 至 90 岁的毛利人和非毛利人的访谈，重点关注他们如何谈论过去、现在和未来的家庭园艺经验与他们的幸福感之间的关系。我们的研究表明，家庭花园和园艺在高龄人群的叙述中占据着重要而积极的地位。我们的大多数参与者都形容自己是积极的园艺爱好者；大多数人还患有多种慢性疾病，有时病情严重且复杂。我们应用定位理论，考察了我们的参与者如何将花园和园艺与身份、联系以及在衰老身体中对健康和幸福感的适应和重新协商联系起来。家庭花园不仅仅具有治疗作用；它们不仅对健康和幸福感具有保护作用，而且还是在老年时期表达和发挥能动性的场所。这些理解对支持高龄人群的幸福感具有实际意义。
