만성 뇌졸중 환자에게 치료정원을 이용한 원예작업치료프로그램이 삶의 질에 미치는 영향

Effects of Horticultural Occupational Therapy Program Using Healing Garden on Quality of Life of Chronic Stroke Patients

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of horticultural occupational therapy using a healing garden on quality of life of chronic stroke patients. The current study was applied to 30 chronic stroke patients that were hospitalized at rehabilitation facility of S hospital in Seoul between March and September 2008. The group was divided into an experiment group(N=17) and a control group(N=13), and the therapy was given 5 times a week for 12 weeks, and each session lasted 30 minutes. Patients in the experiment group went through four sessions of a general occupational therapy-combining a treatment that enhances upper-body functions and training for daily activities-and one session of horticultural occupational therapy using a healing garden. Meanwhile, patients in the control group went through a general occupational therapy 5 times a week. For the pre- and post-evaluation of the horticultural occupational therapy, the stroke specific quality of life(SS-QOL) was applied. After undergoing the program, the average score of patients in the experiment group increased by 12.8 points from 151.4 to 164.2, at a statistically significant level(p=0.001). In comparison, the average score of patients in the control group increased by 7 points from 124.9 to 131.9, at a statistically significant level(p=0.01). Although patients in both experiment and control groups demonstrated a higher level of QOL after the therapy program, the increase of average score was greater for the experiment group. This finding suggests that a horticultural occupational therapy using a healing garden affects chronic stroke patients’ quality of life, and it is time to establish a long-term planning and implement the therapy program as the treatment period of chronic stroke patients grows longer and the community-oriented space for rehabilitation therapy increases.