Levinger Pazit, Hall Jill, Hill Keith D
National Ageing Research Institute, Royal Melbourne Hospital, PO Box 2127, Melbourne, Victoria , 3050, Australia.
Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Arch Public Health. 2025 Jul 18;83(1):190. doi: 10.1186/s13690-025-01668-3.
To meet older people's physical and mental health needs the built environment is becoming increasingly important for the health and community aged care systems. The usage of an age-friendly outdoor space as an enhancement to standard treatment for rehabilitation in hospital settings holds promise as part of patients' continuum of care. This descriptive case study described the design and development of an age-friendly outdoor rehabilitation space in a hospital setting in Sydney Australia, the OASIS (Outdoor Activity Space for Improving your Strength) program.
This descriptive case study reports the step-by-step process from initial concept to activation of the space. Drawing on internal planning documents, site plans, meeting records, and project materials, it outlines key phases including stakeholder consultation, site selection, design development, equipment installation, staff training, risk management, and pilot testing of a group-based exercise program.
The process took approximately four years which included consultation, examination and selection of suitable feature design and equipment selection. Training and upskilling staff and risk management were undertaken prior to pilot testing an exercise program. Preliminary usage testing of the space demonstrated safe usage by older people in a group setting with successful transition from supervised program into independent usage.
The OASIS approach offers an innovative adjunctive therapeutic approach to standard treatment for rehabilitation and physical activity participation of older people in out-patient settings. Future work is required to explore its provisional integration as part of the hospital in-patient and out-patient services.
为满足老年人的身心健康需求，建筑环境对健康和社区老年护理系统变得越来越重要。在医院环境中，使用适合老年人的户外空间作为标准康复治疗的补充手段，有望成为患者连续护理的一部分。本描述性案例研究介绍了澳大利亚悉尼一家医院内适合老年人的户外康复空间——绿洲（增强力量户外活动空间）项目的设计与开发情况。
本描述性案例研究报告了从最初概念到空间启用的逐步过程。借助内部规划文件、场地规划图、会议记录和项目材料，概述了关键阶段，包括利益相关者咨询、场地选择、设计开发、设备安装、员工培训、风险管理以及基于小组的锻炼项目的试点测试。
该过程耗时约四年，包括咨询、审查和选择合适的特色设计及设备选型。在对锻炼项目进行试点测试之前，先进行了员工培训和技能提升以及风险管理。该空间的初步使用测试表明，老年人在集体环境中能够安全使用，且成功地从有监督的项目过渡到独立使用。
绿洲项目为老年人在门诊环境中的康复标准治疗和身体活动参与提供了一种创新的辅助治疗方法。未来需要开展工作，探索将其作为医院住院和门诊服务的一部分进行临时整合。
