Green Care in Poland. Essence, limitations and development opportunities with the kujawsko-pomorskie province as an example

An ageing society has triggered the development of new intervention mechanisms and the engagement of both state and non-governmental institutions. It can be said that, for each group of persons, place-of-residence and social-structure-specific social security models must be designed. In Poland, such innovative actions include the initiative of launching care farms, known as green care. This article presents the results of the current study and observations of the operation of such farms in the kujawsko-pomorskie province. The study mostly involved the use of qualitative methods: interviews with carers, a covert participant observation and the analysis of the opinions of the psychologist coordinating the care farm therapy. The study shows that the idea of green care is quite easily implemented in the rural areas of Poland, with plenty of potential clients and farms which, with sometimes inconsiderable investment inputs, can be adapted to welcome that specific group of guests. However, one must note many barriers, especially a lack of permanent sources of green care financing, in many places a profound distrust of the local community for changes and innovations, and uncertainty regarding the continued care prospect, which can result in an even greater social withdrawal of the clients and an abandoning of the efforts by the carers and farm owners for a further operation to be continued.