Transitioning to a senior living community is a major life change for your elderly loved one. At our communities, we provide many activities to help our residents feel right at home. Often, paying special attention to a loved one's hobbies can help associate this transition with positive feelings.
Gardening is a hobby that many of our residents have enjoyed for most of their lives, so it is important to us to have gardening areas available where we can. Some of our residents have even found a new favorite pastime. We have been pleasantly surprised that our communities do not need a lot of encouragement to play in the dirt!
Stress Relief
Being in a new living environment, away from the home your elderly loved one is used to, can be a stressful experience at first. Having the experience of "getting your hands dirty" by nurturing a plant in a garden and
consequently watching something grow in to a beautiful or fruitful plant can give many people a feeling of peace and tranquility. For your loved one to admire his/her gardening area and show it off to others can be a stress relief in itself, but the nurturting, patience, and work put in to it can also provide a sense of peace and connection to a passion.
Provides Purpose
As loved ones age, and children have grown and become adults themselves, sometimes they can begin to feel a lack of purpose. At our communities, we understand that caring and nurturing something as simple as a living plant can be something that a resident can look forward to every day. A plant can also be a great conversation starter; our residents enjoy getting to know one another over gardening tips, which can lead to sharing other stories and fond memories with each other.
Exercise
Let's face it: gardening is not always an easy task! Carrying a watering can, pulling and pushing dirt--it is all physical activity that works many muscles in the body. Planting or nurturing a single plant, or a small garden, can promote much-needed mobility for your loved one. We love promoting a healthy lifestyle for our residents, especially as they get older in age, and always have staff on hand to assist our residents if they need help with certain tasks.
Gratification
Many would argue that nothing tastes better than the fruit of a plant you have grown and nurtured from a seed. It is always a joy for us to see members of our communities celebrating the successes of their hard work! Our Jamestowne community, for example, enjoys planting lots of fresh vegetables in their garden like squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
At many of our senior living communities, gardening is not just something we offer, but we support! We are always looking for opportunities for members of our communities to learn, explore, and enjoy new hobbies. Many of our residents feel comforted knowing they can bring their hobbies with them, and we encourage sharing knowledge of those hobbies with other residents so we can all grow together.
To learn more about how your loved one can benefit from one of our communities, request a tour.
