The oasis project, exploring the concept of reducing anxiety & stress in a hospital setting

Abstract

Comments written in a prayer book in a hospital Chaplaincy Centre, about the area being a 'quiet oasis' in the middle of a busy hospital amid lots of anxiety and stress led to a focus group forming to explore ideas on how this could be addressed; a short term vision was the creation of an area (Oasis) in the Chaplaincy centre and longer term in other areas across the whole hospital. These areas would have an ambience of calm and relaxation where the use of colour, sound, aroma's and touch would be used to help in the reduction of stress and anxiety, this may be from forthcoming surgery, procedures or life in general from traumatic circumstances. The potential impact of this would be to aid recovery, potentially reduce other stress related illness and improve general well-being using strategies to include relaxation, breathing and visualisation techniques and aromatherapy hand massage.