‘Going Outside for Fresh Air, Sunshine and Walking’: A Qualitative Analysis of US Older Adults’ Therapeutic Landscapes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Therapeutic engagement with nature can support health and wellbeing among older adults. This may be particularly important to cope with adversities of the COVID-19 pandemic when public health measures have been particularly stringent for individuals in this age group. Utilizing therapeutic landscapes as a conceptual framework, we conducted a secondary thematic analysis of qualitative data to explore older adults’ everyday experiences (n = 769) with outdoor spaces and nature during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. The data analyzed is part of the COVID-19 Coping Study baseline survey collected online between April and May 2020. Preliminary findings indicate that participants purposefully engaged with nature and outdoor spaces in diverse ways. This engagement provided opportunities for exercising and maintaining a routine at a safe physical distance from others, which promoted their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Keywords

• therapeutic landscapes
• well-being
• older adults
• COVID-19
• health geography