Innovative technology-enhanced social work service during COVID-19: How ‘Garden on the Balcony’ promoted resilience, community bonds and a green lifestyle

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has motivated social workers to reckon with and transform traditions in service delivery. The development, application, and evaluation of technology-enhanced practices have become more vital than ever. Garden on the Balcony (GOB) was an innovative internet-based social work service designed to respond rapidly to the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing. This paper introduces the underlying perspectives and design of GOB and reports participants’ reflections on the program to understand its mechanisms and implications. Interview data from GOB participants were collected 4 months after the program ended. Thematic analysis generated three major themes, suggesting that GOB had (a) promoted individual resilience and family cohesion; (b) built online and offline community bonds; and (c) cultivated a green lifestyle and spiritual reflection on life. This study demonstrates a practical example of the effective use of technology-enhanced practice.

Perceived COVID-19-related stress drives home gardening intentions and improves human health in Taiwan

“…, [23] , [15.] , [31] , [36] , [25] , [41] , [43] , [55] , [59] ). Community gardens provide social support after disasters ( Shimpo et al, 2019 ).…”

Review and Prospect of Research on Residential Balcony Environment from the Perspective of Healing

“…阳台作为介于私人与公共领域的过渡空 间和替代性的社会空间，在日常生活及突发 性公共卫生事件下发挥了重要的社会服务功 能 [55] ，成为更广泛、多层次的开放空间基础设 施的一部分 [56][57] ；在日常生活中，通过交流、 信息分享等社交活动增加邻里之间的互动和 社会参与 [58][59] ，维持稳定的社会关系网络，建 立普遍的信任感 [60] 、归属感和依恋感 [61] ；作为 街道的眼睛，形成非正式的社会控制和社会 服务 [11,62] ，为社区和街道带来安全感 [63] 。2020年…”

Nature-based allied health: current practice, challenges and opportunities

“…Although research has been conducted regarding the use NBAs amongst by AHPs [17,27,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53], to our knowledge only three studies have examined AHPs use of these NBAs outside of a research setting [34,54,55]. Those three studies examined occupational therapists and physiotherapists engaging in nature-based rehabilitation with people with acquired brain injuries [34], social workers using NBAs with children and parents living in shelters [54], and occupational therapists using gardening or garden-related activities [55].…”