The Importance of Horticultural Therapy in Elder Care
As you age, keeping active is imperative for your well-being, both physically and mentally. Gardening and horticulture therapy is a great way to keep your loved one's mind active and encourage gentle physical movement.
Horticulture therapy integrates gardening into care plans and activity programmes, providing an opportunity for the residents to enjoy an outdoor activity and get some fresh air and movement.
What is Horticultural Therapy?
Horticultural therapy uses gardening and plant-based activities to help residents achieve goals and maintain skills.
Often sessions are guided by trained therapists. These professionals are able to amend activities to meet each resident's abilities. Additionally, they will also be able to plan sessions that target specific goals, helping residents achieve any targets they may have for themselves or in their care plans.
Whether or not the activities are led by a therapist, there are numerous benefits as planting flowers and watering flower beds can improve mental, emotional and physical health.
Benefits of Horticultural Therapy in Elder Care
There are many benefits of horticultural therapy for the elderly.
- Physical Health: Gardening can encourage gentle movement and will often improve motor skills. Activities like planting, pruning, and watering require a fair amount of physicality, promoting light physical exercise, which will enhance their mobility and health.
- Mental Health: Gardening means your loved one will be surrounded by nature while completing these tasks which can be incredibly peaceful. Taking time outside and in nature 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: Gardening can be very stimulating because it has various textures, smells, and colours. It is a non-invasive way to engage their mind, which aids cognitive function, especially for those living with dementia.
- Social Engagement: Gardening is a great activity to do in groups thanks to the space available in gardens. This helps foster social interaction and reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Implementing Horticultural Therapy in Care Settings
While there are a number of benefits to horticultural therapy, there are several considerations that need to be made before implementing gardening activities into your programme.
- Adaptability: Not everyone participating in the activity will have the same abilities, so you will need to create several versions of the activity to accommodate the different mental and physical levels of those enjoying the tasks. 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.
Gardening At Old Alresford
Horticultural therapy provides benefits for your loved one's physical, mental and emotional well-being.
At Old Alresford, we include gardening activities within our programme embedded as part of a wider range of fun activities such as arts and crafts, singalongs, animal therapy, games, quizzes, and so much more.
These types of therapies and activities are the heart of our home because we know that care is more than ensuring medical needs. We place significant importance on our activities programme as it helps us achieve a holistic approach to the care we provide, facilitating mental and emotional well-being as well as physical.
Our activities take place in and around our facilities, such as our dining room and other communal areas, meaning all our residents can participate without the stress of leaving the home.
If your loved one has a passion for gardening that they don't want to lose when receiving long-term or respite care, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today to learn more about gardening and horticultural therapy at our care home. Call us on 01962 734121 or complete our online form and we will call you back.