**5. Conclusions**

**Figure 14.** Relationship of class two (control group) between workers and elders.

tural activities.

120 Occupational Therapy - Therapeutic and Creative Use of Activity

Also, the elderly in the test group are much more enthusiastic about the curriculum, which reduces any distraction from other volunteers. The new design makes the elderly to get the therapeutic effect when working independently as same as the goal of horticultural classes. Implementation of "Elder Green" in the new curriculum will have positive effect on horticul-

The attention on all the elderly residents was unequal even though there were 13 elders and 9 volunteers in the control group of class two (**Figure 14**). On the contrary, there is only one instructor for every five elders, the elders of test group have more even guidance and care from one instructor (**Figure 15**). The test group had a much better experience than the control group in increased mental stimulation and physical exercise. This reveals how the instructor-centric class mode of "Elder Green" works. "Elder Green" helps the elders with fewer instructors and volunteers, conducting a quality fulfilling class more than creating a balance of instruction to each student.

In the test group, the elderly achieved higher amounts of exercise in a more balanced manner. The percentage of time involved in bare hand operations was higher than that spent on tool use. During the classes, the horticultural therapist encouraged the elderly to touch the soil often with their hands, and even smell the soil to increase tactile and olfactory sensory stimulation. Because

**4.3. Comparison of pre- and post-design, factoring workers to elder interaction**

**Figure 15.** Relationship of the test group between workers and elders.

The horticultural therapist can stand at the center of the radial flower beds to interact with the elderly during gardening courses. This study adopted universal design; both the elderly who were wheelchair users and nonwheelchair users could sit by the side of the flower bed. The flower bed was primarily made of wood, the pattern and color of which conveyed comfort and warmth to the elderly. After completing the gardening course, the flower bed naturally became a display shelf showcasing the planting results (**Figure 16**). The Elder Green flower bed helped every older adult focus on the course contents. It mitigated the problem of forward-leaning sitting postures commonly observed in users of existing products by improving flower bed dimensions; moreover, even the elderly in wheelchairs could approach the flower bed at a proper distance to effectively use the work table and reach the depth of the flower bed at ease, rendering gardening activities easier. In previous observations, marked differences were observed between the percentage of time the elderly spent using their dominant hand and using their nondominant hand. However, with the Elder Green flower bed, the elderly' physical activity conducted with both hands holding objects was substantially elevated, and they used their nondominant hand more frequently to accomplish the movements required in the class instead of simply using the same hand repetitively. Therefore, the Elder Green flower bed created more opportunities for physical activity among the elderly by effectively guiding them in spreading their strength to both hands (**Figure 17**).

**Figure 16.** Different type of "Elder Green" arrangements.

The "Elder Green" flower beds have the potential to improve in many aspects. Studies support that individuals with cancer and chronic disease also benefit from therapeutic use of activities such as gardening, which helps the individual in terms of strengthening his/her bonds with life [19, 21]. Thus, different types of wooden patterns and the color of the flower basin are examples of customization which can meet the different requirements by design. Also, how different horticultural class curriculums combined with different medical aids are worthy of

New Flower Bed Design and Verification Supporting Horticultural Therapy Classes Based…

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78311

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Department of Industrial Design, National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan

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[2] Lee Y, Kim S. Effects of indoor gardening on sleep, agitation, and cognition in dementia patients—A pilot study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2008;**23**(5):485-489

[4] Brown VM, Allen AC, Dwozan M, Mercer I, Warren K. Indoor gardening the elderly: Effects on socialization, activities of daily living, and loneliness. Journal of Gerontological

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[8] AHTA. About Horticultural Therapy. [Internet]. Seattle, WA: American Horticultural

[9] Azar JA, Conroy T. The development of an empirical instrument designed to measure the effects of horticultural therapy. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. 1989;**4**:21-28 [10] Eckerling M.Guidelines for designing healing gardens. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture.

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Address all correspondence to: zmcdesign@gmail.com

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**Author details**

Meng-Cong Zheng

**References**

**Figure 17.** Actual situations of the elderly holding objects, using tools, and interactions between them and the teacher.

Observations on the bare hand operations of the elderly using Elder Green revealed notable increases in the average time of dominant hand, nondominant hand, and both hand usage compared with those observed with conventional methods. This finding indicated that the elderly became more active in bare hand operations, which enabled them to receive more comprehensive hand motor training. The individual seat attached to each Elder Green flower bed provided each participating older adult with an exclusive operating platform, enhancing their subsequent willingness to care for the plant and generating a sense of connection with the plant. In addition, this study noted that after Elder Green was introduced, the elderly were more enthusiastically involved in the tasks assigned by the teacher in class, which reduced distraction caused by boredom. Overall, the combination of a tight class tempo and concentrated movements rendered the gardening course fruitful; moreover, after Elder Green was adopted, the elderly spent more time helping each other. This indicated that the new teaching method inspired by Elder Green encourages mutual assistance and collaboration in a group of the elderly, and can adequately achieve the effects that horticultural therapy is expected to exert on the elderly. Using this method, the elderly have greater opportunities to complete gardening operations independently during horticultural therapy. Although the five elderly participants in the test group were only cared for by a horticulture teacher, the course proceeded successfully and they received relatively equal attention. This method allows organizing a quality horticultural therapy course with less manpower, and is likely to promote the willingness of related institutions to organize such courses. The flower bed of "Elder Green" allows soil depth of at least 15 cm. The height of the space under the desk is set at 62 cm which is a one-size-fits-all for elders of different heights and wheelchair users. The specification for the different basin choices are available in the market which makes future replacements easier (**Figure 13**). Users can arrange "Elder Green" in different forms according to the number of participants and the purpose of the horticulture class. Users also arrange flower beds in different shapes as the number of desks increase. "Elder Green" desks are mostly made out of wood. The protective wooden oil creates a warm and moist feeling when touching the wooden desk. Users can place the tools such as a hoe, shovel, plant, etc. on top of the desk or in the built-in drawer, which allows an elder to work seamlessly. Besides, an elder can use the desk of "Elder Green" as a hand-holder when sitting down or standing up for class. The installed wheel can make moving arrangements easier on the desk, and wheel lock also prevents the flower basin from shifting around.

The "Elder Green" flower beds have the potential to improve in many aspects. Studies support that individuals with cancer and chronic disease also benefit from therapeutic use of activities such as gardening, which helps the individual in terms of strengthening his/her bonds with life [19, 21]. Thus, different types of wooden patterns and the color of the flower basin are examples of customization which can meet the different requirements by design. Also, how different horticultural class curriculums combined with different medical aids are worthy of investigation for the future.
