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A preliminary evaluation of the Gardening Leave project for exmilitary personnel with PTSD and other

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... thanks to the generosity of the Pears Foundation, we were able to commission, ... Funded by the Pears Foundation. Commissioned by Gardening Leave ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: A preliminary evaluation of the Gardening Leave project for exmilitary personnel with PTSD and other


1
  • A preliminary evaluation of the Gardening Leave
    project for ex-military personnel with PTSD and
    other combat related mental health problems
  • Anna Baker Cresswell
  • Trustee, Gardening Leave
  • Jacqueline Atkinson
  • Professor of Mental Health Policy
  • Jacquie Reilly
  • Research Associate

2
Background Anna Baker Cresswell
  • My name is Anna Baker Cresswell and I am a
    Horticultural Therapist.
  • I started Gardening Leave in April 2007 in memory
    of my late mother who was a Nightingale nurse and
    avid gardener.
  • As Horticultural Therapy had not previously been
    used with this client group, ex-Service personnel
    with combat-related mental health problems, I set
    up a pilot project at Auchincruive in Ayrshire
    and the referrals to the project are veterans who
    receive treatment at Hollybush House, Combat
    Stresss only centre in Scotland.
  • The average time it takes between a veteran
    leaving the Services and being referred to Combat
    Stress is 14 years. Contributing factors to this
    ugly and very sad statistic include the Service
    culture of I should be able to deal with this on
    my own, and I must be going mad, to
    misdiagnosis by a GP when a veteran finally
    presents, and an increased incidence of veterans
    suffering from undiagnosed PTSD who end up in
    prison.

3
Background - continued
  • Gardening is an inherently non-threatening and
    normal activity and thanks to the generosity of
    the Pears Foundation, we were able to commission,
    Jacqueline Atkinson, Professor of Mental Health
    Policy at Glasgow University to research the
    benefits of Gardening Leave to our client group,
    which Jacquie Reilly is about to present to you.
  • In these days of evidence-based practice, we
    needed more than the bare statistics of veterans
    attendance at Gardening Leave to support the
    theory that for veterans to be together, be
    outside, and have something semi-structured to
    do, all in a safe and peaceful environment, is
    providing both short and long-term benefits to
    this very special group of people and it makes me
    very proud to be standing here to introduce
    Jacquie Reilly, which I now do with great
    pleasure.

4
Funding
  • Funded by the Pears Foundation
  • Commissioned by Gardening Leave
  • Carried out by University of Glasgow, Department
    of Public Health and Health Policy

5
Aim of the research
  • TO EVALUATE THE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF THE GARDENING
    LEAVE PROJECT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE
    VETERANS WHO USE IT AND CLINICAL STAFF AT COMBAT
    STRESS WHO WORK DIRECTLY WITH THEM

6
Methods
  • QUALITATIVE STUDY
  • ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH VETERANS ATTENDING
    GARDENING LEAVE
  • ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEWS WITH CLINICAL STAFF AT
    COMBAT STRESS
  • ACCESS
  • ETHICS

7
  • THE GARDENING LEAVE SITE
  • RELATIONSHIP TO COMBAT STRESS (HOLLYBUSH HOUSE)

8
MAJOR THEMES FOR VETERANS
  • VETERANS ONLY PROJECT
  • LOCATION/ENVIRONMENT
  • SECURITY/SAFETY

9
MAJOR THEMES (CONTINUED)
  • SENSE OF PURPOSE
  • ANTICIPATION
  • MOOD AND STRESS
  • PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
  • TRANSFERALE SKILLS
  • STIGMA AND UNDERSTANDING
  • CONTRIBUTION TO OVERALL MENTAL WELL-BEING

10
MAIN MESSAGES
  • POSITIVE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS
  • CATERING FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS/ ABILITIES/INTERESTS
  • SECURE ENVIRONMENT (BOTH IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHY
    AND PEOPLE STAFFING THE PROJECT)
  • DEVELOPMENT IN PROGRESS

11
RECOVERY
  • ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE
  • MAKING PLANS
  • TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
  • DEVELOPMENT OF PRIDE, CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM
    (WELL-BEING)
  • SOCIAL ISOLATION ISSUES

12
THE FUTURE FOR GARDENING LEAVE - ANNA
  • Now that we have established that the model we
    have created during the pilot project actually
    works, the plan is to set up Gardening Leave
    projects in other areas of the country so that
    more veterans can benefit from what we are
    offering.
  • Plans are in motion to start the next Gardening
    Leave at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where the
    client group will again be exclusively
    ex-Service.
  • Professor Atkinsons research will enable us to
    widen the scope of our fundraising activity and
    by doing so, reach more veterans and promote the
    non-clinical approach to helping reduce the
    social isolation and exclusion which so many this
    countrys veterans experience in their daily
    lives.
  • www.gardeningleave.org
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