Guest:
Erica Husser is an Associate Researcher in the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. She is passionate about optimizing health through her research, Resilience and Equity in Addressing Climate Health (REACH). Her goal is to improve climate readiness and response at the health and social systems, clinical, and individual levels by using a community-engaged research design. REACH engages multiple stakeholders, including the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC), Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging (P4A), and the Penn State Lion Mobile Health Clinic. While climate change affects us all, older adults and economically disadvantaged individuals are at greater risk of negative health outcomes, morbidity, and mortality, which is why she is focused on working with health and socials systems designed to support these populations. Dr. Husser is a faculty affiliate of the Tressa Nese and Helen Discovich Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (CGNE), and Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) in the Penn State College of Medicine. She also serves as a faculty advisory to the Penn State Climate Consortium. Her work outside of academia includes an early career in broadcast journalism, outdoor leadership, and civic engagement; she currently volunteers as development chair for the Penns Valley Conservation Association (PVCA).
Episode Transcript:
LINDSEY WHISSEL FENTON: Ever feel like a walk in the woods does more than just clear your head. I'm Lindsey Whissel Fenton and this is 12 Degrees on WPSU. I'm talking with Dr. Erica Husser, a researcher and project director for age friendly care at Penn State. We're going to explore what the findings from her work can teach us all about how our connection to nature shapes our identity, resilience, and well-being. Erica, what first caught my eye in your research was a study you did in 2020 exploring how rural older women connect with nature. What inspired you on this study?
ERICA HUSSER: Well, I've always had a lifelong affinity for the natural environment. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and am a child of the 80s and grew up watching people tying themselves to trees to try to protest, you know, logging in old growth forests. And then, you know, my, my scholarship. I bring, like, this life course lens to the work I do. I'm really interested in how people grow over time. And these women were just it was a real privilege to sit down at their kitchen table and really just talk to them about their lives. And, you know, most of these women were living in fairly rural areas. And so, they don't travel far to be immersed in nature. And that's what became pretty clear. It's like they were quick to say "It's what we need to survive. And God has given us everything we need."
LINDSEY WHISSEL FENTON: And to take that a step further, one of the standouts was how nature served as a coping tool, and it sounds like that may not have even been consciously recognized. But I'm wondering what some of the women, how they used nature to support their mental or emotional health, even if they weren't readily identifying it as a coping tool.
ERICA HUSSER: Two women in particular stand out. One was in a rehab facility. She had just gone through a bypass operation, and she was back in operation. But she was in rehab, and she said, you know, even in my wheelchair, I can get in my wheelchair, and I ask them to take me outside, and I'm outside. I'm immersed in nature. All of a sudden, another woman had mobility challenges and had to move in with a family member. And she said they put this back room together for her and the room was fine. But for her, the highlight was this back window. And she said, even I can look out across the highway, I see the mountains, so I'm okay.
LINDSEY WHISSEL FENTON: What does this say about what role engaging with our environmental wellness can play at any age, in terms of our resilience, our health or overall well-being?
ERICA HUSSER: Yeah. So, you know, these women that I interviewed, it was very clear for them they would walk outside their back door, and they knew the birds. They knew the types of trees. They understood the seasons and the shifts and the changes. They had an understanding and a respect for nature, and I think that that's lacking for us right now. I think that our relationship with the natural environment is just really stunted. So, I think we need to do a very quick and intense deep dive into like the natural environment 101, so that we can better understand and have a respect for them. Because if we don't understand or respect something, we're less likely to know how to take care of it. One of these women, she was a farmer all her life, and she just this quote has stayed with me all these years. She said, you know, if you don't take care of it, it don't take care of you. And I love that. And I use it all the time because it's true. We are a part of it. And when we harm nature, we're harming ourselves as well. If we can just take steps to start to learn more about what's happening in our local communities, I think that's a really important move for us.
LINDSEY WHISSEL FENTON: That was Dr. Erica Husser, a researcher and project director for age friendly care at Penn State. Her work reminds us that nature isn't just a backdrop; it's a partner in our wellness. This interview is part of 12 Degrees, a program and podcast produced by PSU in collaboration with the Penn State Nese College of Nursing. Learn more at wellness-dot-psu-dot-edu. I'm Lindsey Whissel Fenton, WPSU.
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This is a clip from a longer conversation. To listen to the full episode, visit:
