The Joys Of Gardening For The Elderly

“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth. . . . I am still devoted to the garden. But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”

–          Thomas Jefferson

The joy of sowing a seed and tending to it as it grows, blooms and blossoms into a beautiful piece of nature is undoubtedly one of the best things in the world. We were designed to appreciate it and derive joy from it. Knowing that you are an active part in life’s beautiful cycle is the most rewarding emotion you can experience.

Gardening brings many other benefits as well, especially in the elderly. In this blog, we talk about what these benefits are and give you a glimpse of what our gardening experts have been up to around the home.

Gardening – Benefits in the Elderly

Gardening is the practice of growing, managing, nurturing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. It is one of the oldest recreational activities and an essential part of creation! We can reap many benefits from it. Gardening can boost both your mental and physical health and helps create a cleaner ecosystem and eases the general stresses of life. It requires patience, kindness, and a little bit of skill but it is a pursuit almost anyone can carry out.

An Awake article entitled Gardening Is Good for You brings out the benefits of gardening for the elderly:

“Tending a garden especially benefits the elderly. Waiting for a new shoot or bud to appear helps them to look ahead positively. Additionally, “the garden provides an antidote to the pain and frustration” of old age, states Dr. Brigid Boardman of the Royal Horticultural Society. The elderly often feel discouraged because of an increasing dependency on others. As Dr. Boardman notes, though, “the need to be in control is met by our control of what we plant, how we plan the garden, and how it is tended. And the need to care is again fulfilled.”

–          Awake!  |  April 22, 2005

A few of the many benefits gardening brings to elderly individuals are:

• It is an easy, enjoyable form of exercise.
• It significantly increases levels of physical activity and helps mobility and flexibility.
• It drives out laziness and promotes agility.
• It invigorates all motor skills.
• It boosts endurance and strength.
• It enhances your immunity system and mindfulness.
• It helps fend off various diseases and drastically reduces stress levels and increases relaxation.
• It yields stimulation and interest in nature and the outside world.
• It improves personal well-being as a result of social interaction and improves the quality of life allowing one to see the beauty in simple things.
• It can usually provide nutritious, home-grown produce.

These are just a few examples of the many advantages of gardening. With the help of a few safety precautions, golden-agers can have a wonderful experience in gardening. Overall it is a very satisfactory activity that can open one’s eyes to the simple joys of life and the beauty of creation all around us.

What do you do if you don’t have green fingers though? Regardless of whether it is painting, cooking, singing or even something as simple as reading books, hobbies help us stay relaxed, calm and most importantly – stable. As people grow older it becomes increasing difficult to keep oneself busy and diligent, an easy way to achieve this is to start a simple hobby that can bring you a sense of satisfaction and joy. We would love to know what your hobbies are.

Gardeners at Legacy Place

Our residents absolutely love gardening. With the help of our dear carers, they have been able to start off their very own garden project. We would love to show you what they have been able to do. For now, here are some pictures of them sowing seeds and how their hard work and love is paying off already.

 

Stay tuned to our social media channels and e-mails to see updates on how these beautiful plants are faring.