by Brad Smith, PLA, ASLA, AICP
Last week I volunteered at the school where my wife, Tara, serves as the Elementary Principal. The highlight was playing freeze-tag with the first graders! If you’ve ever played it, you know that the worst part is being frozen . . . stuck . . . isolated . . . alone . . . unable to interact with others. What a joy and relief to suddenly become “un-frozen”, and free to run, rejoin the play, and relate with others.
Also last week, I read what we all have intuitively known – that when outside, we can shed our masks, and enjoy being together safely. Consider these facts presented by David Shukman, the BBC’s Science Editor:
Researchers say infections can happen outdoors, but the chances are massively reduced.
Fresh air disperses and dilutes the virus.
It also helps to evaporate the liquid droplets in which it is carried.
On top of that, ultraviolet light from the Sun should kill any virus that's out in the open.
I’ve never liked the term “social distancing”. I understand the need to maintain safe physical distances from one another in certain situations but we certainly all know just how important human connections are to our well-being. One of the sad consequences of this pandemic, particularly among seniors, has been the social isolation that has resulted from efforts to protect.
The Mayo Clinic tells us that “Socializing not only staves off feelings of loneliness, but also it helps sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increases your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer. In-person is best, but connecting via technology also works.”
Check out this Mayo Clinic Minute on The Benefits of Being Socially Connected:
Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network
Yes, the video was made before the pandemic hit, but the truth it conveys still remains. When considered in light of the recently released CDC Guidelines on Choosing Safer Activities, the CDC’s finding that “Outdoor visits and activities are safer than indoor activities” can be the antidote for the lack of socialization that the pandemic has triggered.
Many of our clients are in the senior living market sector. They have been hard-hit by COVID. Yet, many are becoming aware of the vast potential for enhancing well-being by developing outdoor areas on their campuses. So many outside spaces are simply “leftovers”, overlooked, and lacking purpose. However, the adaptive use of outdoor space through careful planning can yield big dividends.
Home Care Assistance, an organization committed to change the way the world ages, points out that a lifestyle that incorporates socialization offers health benefits:
1. Improved mental and emotional health
2. Boosted confidence and self-esteem
3. Increased quality of life
4. Reduced blood pressure
5. Reduced cognitive decline and less risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
6. Boosted immunity; less risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis
7. Increased brain health
8. Feelings of usefulness and purpose
Takeaway Truth: Developing purposeful outdoor spaces for people fosters socialization, and is indeed beneficial.
Good advice, but it takes a toll!
Top 3 Ways We Can Help
We can work to address the problems posed in the blog posting above by:
Creating a memorable experience and positive first impressions for those visiting your property. Also, increasing resident referrals by meeting their felt needs through targeted planning and design.
Exploring avenues for outdoor dining, food truck events, and even on-site food production. Reclaiming areas formerly devoted to vehicles, transforming them into vital “people places”.
Re-purposing forgotten or underutilized outdoor spaces, bringing vitality and opportunities for safe interactions in open-air environments.
Planning in the Midst of the Pandemic
Rediscovering the Role of the Outdoors
This is part of an ongoing series focusing on The Outdoor Antidote: re-energizing outdoor spaces to solve these common COVID-related problems:
1. Loss of revenue, and the need for new entry fees.
2. How to pivot operationally, discovering new ways of safely meeting needs?
3. How to overcome the sense of isolation and loneliness resulting from new protocols?
Premise: While targeted toward the perspective of the Aging Services Industry, which has been hard-hit and has had to face a variety of challenges, many of the ideas and solutions we offer for them can also be applied on a broader basis for the multi-family residential sector, and even at your private residence.
Move Ahead
Ready to consider implementing some new ideas for outdoor area development? Download many of our helpful resources found at the Resources tab at the top of the page.
Reach out to schedule an initial Zoom Consultation. We’re eager to learn more about you and your needs.