Sarah L. Bell

Green space, health and wellbeing:making space for individual agency

This essay examines the assumptions of green space use underpinning much existing green space and health research. It considers opportunities to move the field forward through exploring two often overlooked aspects of individual agency: the influence of shifting life circumstances on personal wellbeing priorities and place practices, and the role of personal orientations to nature in shaping how green space wellbeing opportunities are perceived and experienced. It suggests such efforts could provide more nuanced insights into the complex, personal factors that define and drive individual choices regarding the use of green spaces for wellbeing over time, thereby strengthening our understanding of the salutogenic potential (and limits) of green spaces.

The role of fluctuating soundscapes in shaping the emotional geographies of individuals living with Ménière’s disease

Abstract The potential for everyday soundscapes to evoke diverse emotions amongst different cultural and acoustic communities is increasingly recognised within the literature. However, few studies have examined how these soundscapes can shift with the onset and progression of specific hearing impairments. This paper explores such shifts, drawing on a series of in-depth narrative interviews conducted in the south west of England with individuals diagnosed with Ménière’s disease; a long-term progressive vestibular disorder characterised by episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss and, for some people, hyperacusis (high sensitivity to sudden irregular sounds). Located in the subfield of ‘emotional geographies’, the paper discusses how participants were forced to connect with and attune to previously unremarkable aspects of their everyday soundscapes in ways that were both emotionally and socially challenging. Four aspects of participants’ embodied, emotional soundscapes are critically explored: hearing life in ‘2D’; corporeal and environmental ‘sonic intruders’; corporeal sound ‘symbols’; and seeking to regain a semblance of control through soundscape (re)-negotiations. Such insights are important to inform conscious acoustic design efforts that respect the ‘ears and voice’ of people living with varying levels of auditory sensitivity, rather than urban and community planning policies that continue to prioritise vision and transit.

Local Environments and Activity in Later Life: Meaningful Experiences in Green and Blue Spaces

Populations across much of the world are ageing. In the UK, 1 in 5 people will be aged 65 and over by 2020 (Allen, 2008). This has sparked growing interest in the potential to develop ‘healthy communities which support older people to live lives which are as fulfilling as possible’ (Department of Health, 2001: 107). Such interest is based on the recognition that, contrary to existing narratives of decline, ‘old age can also be marked by the acquisition of new roles and, potentially, be a flourishing time of mobility and new creativity’ (Gilroy, 2012: 74–75).

Everyday green space and experienced well-being: the significance of wildlife encounters

Abstract A broad and growing evidence base suggests the potential for time spent in natural environments to promote human health and well-being. Whilst evidence of such benefits is rapidly accumulating, we still know relatively little about the role of wildlife encounters in shaping the well-being potential of people’s routine green/blue space interactions, particularly amongst non-specialists. This article addresses this conceptual gap, drawing on the findings of a three-stage, qualitative, interpretive study which sought to understand and situate people’s natural environment well-being experiences within their everyday lives. Wildlife encounters were emphasised by study participants in the context of four types of well-being experience: social, immersive, symbolic and achievement oriented. These are explored within this paper, before discussing the influence of past experiences and current life circumstances on participants’ wildlife relationships. Consideration is also given to how environmental managers might focus activity and investment to balance opportunities for such wildlife experiences with the ongoing priorities of delivering socially inclusive, ecologically rich and climate change-resilient green spaces.

Living with Ménière's Disease: Understanding Patient Experiences of Mental Health and Well-Being in Everyday Life

This chapter will discuss the current knowledge of the mental health and wellbeing impact of Ménière’s. To date, our understanding is limited, with small sample sizes, no controls, and the inability to account for confounding factors. Our work in the UK Biobank aimed to further our understanding of the impacts of Ménière’s at the population level. Secondly we will consider the patient perspective of what it means to live with Ménière’s. This is essential to develop appropriate healthcare pathways and ensure patients are able to lead fulfilling lives. There is very limited information about how the patient experiences and makes sense of the disease (or not) including its triggers and physical sensations in everyday life. Our findings suggest that Ménière’s adversely impacts on mental health, an individual’s emotional state and their life satisfaction. We demonstrate the complex processes of adjustment (physical, social and emotional) following a diagnosis of Ménière’s. Although a cure is not currently available, our study illustrates that much can be learnt from the adaptation strategies developed by long-term sufferers in order to help individuals with new diagnoses; an experience that is both daunting and disruptive to patients’ everyday lives.