Enjoy Nature for a Longer, Healthier Life
An emerging field of research, 'Eco Gerontology,' studies the union of human aging and the environment
Long-term care and assisted living facilities are often some of the most unnatural places in the world: residents rarely get outside and have little, if any, exposure to green space.

Monica Eastway is an innovative leader in Eco Gerontology, an emerging field that studies the union of human aging with nature. After caring for her great-grandmother, she realized that elder care could be improved by integrating it into a natural environment.
In her "Eco Generation Park" model, Eastway employs evidence-based principles that are "nature-inspired, age-integrated, community-based and resident-sustained."
Some of her model is based on "green care" or "social care" farms in Europe. "Green care farms began popping up in the Netherlands in the 1990s as an innovative way to make farms multifunctional and financially sustainable," Eastway notes. "From about 70 care farms in the 1990s to nearly 1,400 today, their number continues to grow. And there are around 400 social care farms in the U.K."
Eastway's Project
It would be a tall order for Eastway, who currently lives in the idyllic Big Sur area south of San Francisco, to do her project anywhere in coastal California — a climate-stressed areas often hit by drought, flooding and wildfires. Her project also will include "multifunctional regenerative agriculture" combining housing, tourism, local food production, education and health care.
"Nature-based interventions are sources of several health benefits for the general population, with particular relevance for the well-being of the elderly."
Living and working in coastal California, though, hasn't been without stubborn challenges. Difficulties posed by climate change and persistent social inequities loom. She says "since my arrival (in Bug Sur), I've been evacuated twice and lost work due to bridge collapses, fires and mudslides.
"Sustainable, long-term housing is a challenge," she adds. "The Eco Generation Park Model seeks to address this by preventing older adult homelessness — a rapidly growing issue, with the fastest-growing segment of our nation's homeless population being people over the age of 65."
Yet, she says, "it wasn't until I learned more about biodiversity loss, climate change, older adult homelessness and evidence-based solutions while in graduate school, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the urgency of the nature-centered Eco Generation Park model began to take shape."
The Research Behind Eco Gerontology
Eco Gerontology builds upon a robust body of academic research that links increased longevity and health outcomes with outdoor activities. Academics and professionals in the field generally call the connection between longevity and the environment "nature-based interventions." This is a broad category that includes nearly anything from bird watching to gardening.
Researchers have found that "nature-based interventions are sources of several health benefits for the general population, with particular relevance for the well-being of the elderly," according to one study cited by the National Library of Medicine. There are direct correlations to lower blood pressure, better mental health and enhanced social relationships.
"Experience with the natural world benefits physical and mental health," a journal study concluded in reviewing one U.K. program. "It is associated with a sense of gratitude and self-worth and can help people recover from stress and mental illness. This kind of experience with nature also helps to build a sense of place and community and foster feelings of belonging."
The Benefits of Nearby Nature
There's little question that as we age, being in nature — and not apart from it — is generally good for you and may enhance longevity, even if you live in an urban area. In a study commissioned by the TKF Foundation, researchers found that "the amount of green space in a neighborhood is positively associated with health status of older people."
"Experience with the natural world benefits physical and mental health."
"The effect of nearby nature on health is greater for older people if their outdoor exposure opportunities are limited to their immediate neighborhood or care facility," the study added.
Dr. Sharon Baggett, a retired gerontology researcher, said the science behind Eco Gerontology is compelling. "The research on the effects of being in nature and outdoor activities and access is clear, across ages," she found. "Several meta-analyses of the effects of gardens and other outdoor activities on persons with dementia show clear positive outcomes."
"The Eco-Gerontology model certainly includes clear goals to (give) all residents, including those with dementia or other challenges, the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities," Baggett adds. "It empowers residents to work together to create community."
Change-Resistant Industry
"The pilot (Eco Park) community will address multiple environmental and social challenges simultaneously," Eastway adds. "Dementia-friendly care farming and evidence-based green care approaches are foundational in the Eco Generation Park Model. Unlike traditional 'memory care' in the U.S., our model is person-centered and grows reciprocal-shared care."
"Reciprocal-shared care expands person-centered care to include the needs of the caregiver, the community and the natural environment while fostering contribution, regeneration and healthy ecosystems — caregivers, care receivers, communities and the natural environment — the 'whole' community," Eastway notes.
How is her model pushing the envelope on traditional elder care? "Eco Park is definitely a cool concept juxtaposed with an industry that is very resistant to change and challenged to look outside the box," observes Scott Fulton, author of "Wealthspan" and past president of the National Aging in Place Council.
"I can't comment on her business plan," Fulton adds, "but the concept's value aligns with the direction of a growing issue: more seniors living alone with dementia. As the boomers age, we're entering into a phase of about 2.5 times fewer adults per senior versus the previous two generations. Solo aging is rising quickly."
Learning from an Eco Park
Can the Eco Park effectively address the complex challenges of dementia?
"Environmental factors play a significant role in living with dementia and the rate of disease progression," Fulton notes. "While the concept isn't for everyone or even a large segment of the population, many would jump at it in a heartbeat, given the chance. From a clinical perspective, there is much that will be learned from an Eco Park that can be brought to other settings."

"As for the environmental aspects," Fulton adds, "Eco Park takes what's been learned in memory care facility studies and dementia studies and raises it to another level."
Currently, Eastway has "actively consulted communities and individuals on implementing the key principles of the Eco Generation Park model, and we have a comprehensive business plan for three phases of the pilot community, with initial fundraising efforts underway to secure development capital."
While it's too early to tell if Eastway's model will catch on in the mainstream elder-care arena, it promises to merge some long-standing practices in permaculture, regenerative agriculture, active aging and communal living. It's worth noting that the companion concept of environmental gerontology has been slowly evolving in the U.S. since the 1930s and for centuries in "Blue Zones" — distinct regions across the world where people tend to live longer and healthier lives.
Keys to Longevity
Indeed, one of these areas, which has a high percentage of residents living into their 11th decade, is in Loma Linda, California. Researchers have found that the most long-lived Blue Zoners stay active physically and socially, eat healthy, fresh foods (often eschewing red meat) and exercise regularly.
Of course, relatively few people live in Blue Zones. If you wanted to find a practicing eco gerontologist, your internet search would mostly show Eastway's videos and supporting materials. You might have better success searching for a professional who specializes in environmental gerontology, although it's not a licensed designation.
Still, a nature-based approach to aging, while appearing as a better alternative to dreary institutional settings, may gain traction as more professional gerontologists integrate an environmental focus into their care models. This shift not only gets us more engaged in nature — and acknowledging the harmful impacts of climate change — it may eventually prove to be more humane.