Green in long-term care: The role of green on the quality of life of residents of long-term care facilities

Abstract

Over the years, there has been increasing attention for the quality of life of elderly residents in long-term care facilities and how this may be improved. Yet, little is known about how green may contribute to the quality of life of residents, despite numerous studies that show the importance of green for the general wellbeing of adults and children in society. This study investigates the relationship between green and quality of life of residents of long-term care facilities. We use two sources of data: 1) data from questionnaires of the study 'Quality of life in the elderly care sector' (N=556 residents, n=22 facilities); 2) Observational data of green of those facilities that were collected at the same time. Data were analyzed using multilevel analyses. We found that presence of green in public spaces within the facility (indoor green) is positively related to physical wellbeing, social participation and total quality of life of residents. Furthermore, the frequency of which residents go outside is positively related to physical wellbeing, social participation and total quality of life. No relationship was found between outdoor green, environment of the facility, views of green and quality of life of residents. Our findings indicate that indoor green plays an important role in the quality of life of elderly residents in long-term care. Although no effect was found for outdoor green, going outside was related to quality of life as well. This indicates that outdoor spaces must be accessible, attractive and safe to use for residents. Implications for further research are discussed.