This week, we want to write about gardening. In the past, we’ve written about it as a way for caregivers to relieve stress. In this post, we’re going to focus on how gardening can help the elderly and why it is such a great activity for them.
It’s a wonderful summer activity because it will help to get your elderly loved ones outside. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, being outside can increase vitamin D levels, it can improve mood, and it will increase concentration. Lastly, gardening specifically can help elevate moods. According to a study in Neuroscience, gardening increases cortisol levels and a bacteria in soil helps to increase serotonin production in the brain. All of these will directly benefit your elderly loved one.
Additionally, gardening is a low impact activity, so it’s a great way to incorporate some activity in your elderly loved one’s day without taxing them too much. Additionally, gardening can encompass a wide range of activities from planting individual seeds to pruning roses. This allows caregivers to modify the activity and tailor the activity to their elderly loved one’s needs. For example, if your loved one is unable to kneel down, then planting seeds in individual pots might be the best option. If they don’t feel like doing that, you can have your elderly loved one sit in a lawn chair and prune taller plants.
Lastly, you can click here for a great video from NBC Today about different assistive technologies that are directed at helping the elderly garden.
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