Gardening for the Soul: Horticultural Therapy in Elder Care
Keeping active is essential for the well-being of a loved one as they age, as it can help keep them physically and mentally active. One activity that provides a range of benefits and often brightens up the day of residents in care homes is horticultural therapy - that is, gardening!
This unique form of therapy, which integrates gardening into care plans and activity programmes, has been gaining momentum for its multifaceted benefits.
What is Horticultural Therapy?
Horticultural therapy uses gardening and plant-based activities. It can be guided by a trained therapist, who will aim to achieve a specific therapeutic goal. Those leading the activity will tailor it to the individual's needs, ensuring everyone can join in and have fun.
However, the benefits of horticultural therapy don't just come from activities led by a specialist. Simply being out in the garden, planting flowers, or watering flower beds can improve mental, emotional and physical health.
Benefits of Horticultural Therapy in Elder Care
The benefits of horticultural therapy for the elderly are profound and varied:
- Physical Health: Gardening activities can be a gentle way to encourage your loved one to move and will often improve motor skills. Tasks such as planting, pruning, and watering can be fairly physical, promoting light physical exercise, which will enhance their mobility and health.
- Mental Health: Gardening can be incredibly peaceful as your loved one will be surrounded by nature. The tranquillity that comes from these activities has been known to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, the act of nurturing plants provides a sense of accomplishment and purpose, uplifting the spirits of the elderly.
- Cognitive Function: With the various textures, smells, and colours, gardening is a great activity for stimulating your loved one. It is a non-invasive way to engage their mind, which aids cognitive function, especially for those living with dementia.
- Social Engagement: Thanks to the space provided by gardens, horticultural therapy and gardening activities are a great thing to do as a group, fostering social interaction and combatting loneliness and isolation that the elderly can often experience.
Implementing Horticultural Therapy in Care Settings
Before you implement horticultural therapy and gardening into your activity programme, there are a number of considerations that need to be thought about:
- Adaptability: For everyone to enjoy and benefit from the activity, it needs to be adapted to suit different physical abilities. This could include raising planters, using ergonomic tools, and making sure the gardens are accessible by wheelchair.
- Indoor and Outdoor Spaces: Gardening therapy shouldn't stop because the seasons change. Try to find an indoor space where you can continue gardening activities throughout the colder months for year-round engagement. Indoor container gardens or greenhouses can be particularly beneficial.
- Safety: Ensuring the safety of the participants is paramount. This includes using non-toxic plants and providing adequate supervision.
Horticultural Therapy Across The World
Horticultural therapy has been embraced across the globe, with many elderly care facilities reaping the benefits.
Notably, a care home in Oregon saw remarkable improvements in residents' mood and social interaction after introducing a gardening program. And another in the UK reported enhanced motor skills and reduced agitation among its dementia patients.
Challenges and Solutions of Horticultural Therapy
As with any therapy or activity, there can be challenges. Even if you have a garden, space and resources might be limited. So, how do you overcome these?
Some solutions could include community partnerships and volunteer involvement. If you still find yourself struggling with space, portable garden beds and indoor plants could allow you to include this therapy within your activities programme.
Gardening At Primrose Lodge Weymouth
Horticultural therapy offers a natural, therapeutic approach to elder care, fostering physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
At Primrose Lodge Weymouth, we are proud to include gardening activities within our programme. With a dedicated activities coordinator, these are embedded in a wide range of other fun things, such as arts and crafts, singalongs, animal therapy, games, quizzes, and so much more.
We take a holistic approach to care, ensuring your loved one's mental and emotional well-being are looked after just as much as their physical health. This is why we emphasise activities and therapies such as this. However, our dedication to overall health extends beyond activities into our extra facilities that make our home a fun and comfortable place to live, such as our communal dining areas, decorated rooms, hairdressing and chiropody appointments and open-door approach to visitors.
If you are interested in Primrose Lodge Weymouth for a loved one, don't hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team to learn more about how we incorporate gardening into our activities programme or discuss our long-term and respite care options.
Alternatively, book a viewing around our home to see our home for yourself. Call us on 01305 786568 or complete our online contact form for a callback from our team.