If you have been in a hospital lately you may have noticed that it looked a little bit more like a welcoming place with beauty and things to look at and admire and a little less like a hospital or institution.
Why the change and what are hospitals doing to incorporate this change? As hospitals plan their additions, remodels and renovations they are incorporating nature for their patients, patient's families and employees to enjoy.
Just how are they bringing the outdoors in? Waterfalls, wall fountains and plants, along with more windows to create an airy atmosphere, quickly bring water, soothing water sounds and greenery indoors while patients can enjoy looking outside.
The water fountains and waterfalls indoor and out create a peaceful environment and create soothing water sounds.
They also help to humidify the air and keep plants healthy and thriving.
With the many options for custom waterfalls for hospitals you are sure to see fountains of many sizes.
Popular options are wall mounted fountains, large water walls that essentially take the place of a regular wall, large floor standing fountains in the center of hallways, to smaller tabletop fountain styles for waiting areas and patients rooms.
You may also see courtyard areas with large cast stone fountains as centerpieces with beautiful plants and shrubbery around it with seating areas for patient and their families to enjoy.
Now, can the sounds of soothing water and enjoying nature really help us heal faster? This is a point that has been under many studies lately.
Think of how you feel, sick or not, doesn't a walk in the woods or relaxing outdoors listening to the birds sing, or even listening to the rain make you feel more relaxed and stress free?For most of us, the answer is yes.
We know that stress is not good for anyone, healthy or sick, so finding natural ways to relieve stress and relax to improve our mind, body and spirit can definitely help.
So, whether it is the actual water fountains and plants that help us heal faster or the stress-relieving nature and calming feel the hospital will have by incorporating nature, one can only guess the speed of recovery a patient will have in a hospital that has incorporated these features with one that has not.
A custom water feature in the hospital may not bring you more revenue instantly, but may be well worth the investment when you consider the impression you are leaving a patient and their family with when they are greeted at the door with a water wall and find soothing wall fountains in the waiting rooms and common areas along with gardens that have fountains and babbling brooks.
May be it will bring a patient back to your facility in the future as opposed to the one across town.