A rooftop garden at Brighton, Mass.-based Franciscan Children's has proven to be a helpful, therapeutic space for patients with mental illness, according to WBUR.
The project began as a way for the hospital's food service department to grow fresh ingredients and engage patients, and the children soon took over the responsibilities of the garden.
"This started out as a food service project just to meet the kids, because a lot of the kids were coming down and talking to us, and we're like, 'We have no idea who you are!'" Laura Gavin, who works in the food service department in Franciscan, told WBUR. "And it evolved into garden therapy, which has turned quite successful."
Patients at Franciscan often stay between two and three weeks and suffer from severe mood disorders or anxiety, and hospital administrators say the patients have benefited greatly from the garden. It especially helps children learn to be present in the moment and enjoy their surroundings.
"Very often we are not paying attention to our sense of smell, and that can very much bring people into the moment — the smell of herbs and focusing on nurturing something outside of oneself can be really rewarding," Anthony Sossong, MD, a psychiatrist at Franciscan's told WBUR. "And the idea that they're creating something for future generations of kids who are going to be right there, too — that they're taking care of something that's going to last beyond their stay here."
Patients at Franciscan often stay between two and three weeks and suffer from severe mood disorders or anxiety. Hospital administrators say the patients have benefited greatly from the garden, which helps them learn to be present in the moment and enjoy their surroundings.