Hospice Leads Groundbreaking Research into Forest Bathing for Palliative Care

Treetops Hospice is at the forefront of innovative research into the therapeutic benefits of Forest Bathing, with the aim of making it truly accessible for all.

The research, the first of its kind in a hospice setting, explores how Forest Bathing can be adapted to support people receiving palliative care. Weekly hour-long sessions are currently taking place in our tranquil grounds, led by Rachel Pitzettu, a Community Support Coordinator at the Motor Neurone Disease Association and a postgraduate researcher at Nottingham Trent University.

Each session is carefully tailored to meet the mobility and energy levels of participants, ensuring a safe and inclusive experience that connects them with the natural world.

Talking about her research, Rachel said: “For people accessing a hospice setting, accessing Forest Bathing may be difficult. This research is bringing something which is well documented, and evidence based, into a small scale more manageable package.

“The population and demographic we’re working with is very pioneering. No research has previously taken place with Forest Bathing in a palliative care setting or hospice setting. Hopefully the findings can be used to put together a guide for other hospices about how they can use some of the nature connection techniques in therapeutic sessions.”

Charlotte Budd, Occupational Therapist, at Treetops Hospice added: “We’re delighted to part of this groundbreaking project to evaluate the benefits on wellbeing of adapted Forest Bathing in a hospice setting.

“The people who have taken part in the project so far have really enjoyed the experience and learned techniques that they have been able to replicate at home, to gain physiological and psychological benefits. The fact that these sessions are offered to people with varying levels of mobility, including wheelchair users, has really been welcomed by those who attend Treetops.”

The research will run until October and could mark a turning point in how hospices across the UK integrate nature-based therapies into their services.