Do you know what simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility are? If you look around you, you will see many people who spend a lot of time planting and cultivating flowers every day. Humans inherently love and cherish beauty. Gardening for the elderly is one of the things that gives them morale and makes them happy.
Grandparents are elderly people who are loved, loved and cared for by those around them. Usually, children like to create a beautiful environment in their parents’ homes to give their parents vitality and spirit of life. Sometimes planting flowers in a garden for the elderly and watering it, in addition to making the house more beautiful, entertains the grandparents. This task can be made easier for them with the help of gardening aids for seniors. In the following article from Human Health Mag, we will share some ideas in the field of gardening for people with mobility problems.
Physical Benefits of Gardening for Seniors
Before we talk about simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility, it is better to first familiarize ourselves with the benefits of this work. Gardening has many physical benefits for the elderly and seniors that can help improve their quality of life and overall health. Some of these benefits include:
- Physical activity: Gardening as a physical activity can help improve cardiovascular health, lose weight, strengthen muscles, improve balance and increase flexibility. Physical activities such as planting and watering plants can help strengthen muscles and increase mobility in seniors. If you are looking for activities for elderly with limited mobility, gardening is one of the things that people with limited mobility can do.
- Strengthening bones: Since gardening is done outdoors and in the sun, it helps produce vitamin D in the body, which is necessary for bone health and density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and strengthening the immune system.
- Weight loss: Doing some activities such as: hoeing and pruning flowers, plants and trees, burns calories, which can solve the problem of inactivity and help lose weight and improve fitness.
- Improve blood circulation: Physical activity during gardening improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Outdoor activity and contact with nature can help reduce blood pressure regulation and improve the general health of the elderly.
Psychological Benefits of Simple Gardening for Seniors With Limited Mobility
Simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility has many benefits for boosting the mental and emotional health of seniors. These benefits can boost feelings of joy and vitality in seniors:
- Reduce stress: Gardening can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and increase feelings of contentment and happiness. Gardening reduces stress hormone levels and helps improve mood. Working with plants and soil is a natural form of meditation that can help with negative emotions and anxiety.
- Improve mood: Gardening can cause the release of happy hormones such as endorphins, which improve mood and reduce stress. Connecting with nature and plants can boost a sense of hope and motivation in seniors.
- Boost self-confidence: Caring for plants and seeing the results of your work can boost a sense of self-confidence and self-sufficiency in seniors.
- Increase concentration and memory: Planning to plant plants, caring for and watering them, and watching them grow can help improve concentration and strengthen memory.
Simple Gardening Ideas for Seniors With Limited Mobility
There are many simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility that these people can do. In this section, we will introduce a few of them:
- Using raised gardens that help seniors easily access plants without having to bend over too much is one of the useful and practical ideas in this regard. In this case, wheelchair-bound seniors or people with mobility problems can also plant flowers and plants.
- Large and tall fixed pots can be used, which reduce pressure on the back and knees of seniors. In this case, flowers and plants can be cared for standing up and there is no need to bend over. Relatives of these people can plant flowers and plants in these pots and seniors can take care of them with the help of a cane or wheelchair.
- Using automatic irrigation systems or lightweight hoses can help reduce the need for watering seniors. In this case, a person can sit on a chair and easily water their flowers and plants by opening a tap.
- Creating small, portable gardens is more suitable for the elderly. Small, beautiful gardens can also be created in limited spaces such as balconies or terraces. In this case, people with limited mobility do not need to travel long distances or be constantly on the move to take care of their plants.
- Create small walled gardens for seniors with limited mobility. This will help them connect more with their surroundings and enjoy a beautiful view. They can also easily take care of their flowers and plants while sitting in a wheelchair.
- People with limited mobility can use a plastic egg carton to grow seeds. Remove the lid and clean it thoroughly. Make small drainage holes under each of the holes in the carton and pour in your desired soil, which can be used as a ready-to-plant substrate, add the seeds, and watch the sprouts grow. Once the shoots have grown and reached a height of 5 to 10 cm, you can transfer them to a pot.
- For the elderly, you can create a miniature greenhouse in a plastic bottle. This inexpensive greenhouse is made by simply cutting the bottom off the bottle and placing it over the plant that needs a greenhouse environment. This creates a humid, greenhouse-like environment for the plant.
Important Simple Gardening Tips for Seniors with
Limited Mobility
In order for simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility to become a useful and fun activity, you should pay attention to important points to achieve the best results. Some of these points include the following:
Choosing the right plants
- Choosing plants that do not require much care and are accessible to seniors is an important point in this regard.
Creating a safe space
- Ensuring the safety of the gardening environment by removing obstacles and using appropriate tools is also important. Lightweight and ergonomic tools can help reduce pressure on the hands and joints.
Consulting a doctor
- Before starting gardening, especially for seniors with health problems, it is better to consult a doctor.
Starting gradually
- It is better for seniors to start this type of activity gradually and with light work. Then, the duration and intensity of the activities can be increased gradually. Seniors should take regular breaks while gardening to prevent fatigue and excessive strain.
How Can We Adapt Gardening Tools and Facilities to the Elderly?
For simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility, you should pay attention to a few important points. In addition to the things we said above, you can raise the elderly’s bed so that if they cannot garden outside the bed or have limited mobility, they can access and take care of the plants in this way. You can also provide them with tools such as portable baskets that they can move the plants if they wish. Wheeled baskets are also a good idea, provided that using them is not dangerous for the elderly.
It is better to use lighter tools for the elderly. The lighter the tool, the easier the elderly can work with it and carry it. Of course, you should be careful with very sharp and dangerous tools. Depending on the elderly’s ability, you can provide them with different tools and, if necessary, be sure to supervise them directly when the elderly is working with a specific tool.
For gardening, be sure to provide the elderly with a stable and sturdy table and chair. Be careful that some materials lose their strength when exposed to the sun and can be dangerous for the elderly. Provide a water hose or sprinkler or any other tool the elderly needs to water the plants, as well as all the tools the elderly needs.
Concluding Remarks
simple gardening ideas for seniors with limited mobility are among the useful activities for these people. Connecting with nature and seeing plants grow can increase the feeling of peace and satisfaction in these people and significantly reduce the need for elderly caregivers. By doing various activities in gardening, seniors can help improve their balance and coordination of body movements and reduce the risk of falling and injury.
Also, participating in group and public gardening projects can help seniors to have more social support. This support can help reduce feelings of loneliness and increase a sense of belonging to the community. Seniors can share their experiences and knowledge in the field of gardening with others. This sharing can lead to increased self-confidence and a sense of efficacy in seniors.
If you also have ideas or experiences in this field, please share them with us. Thank you for being with us until the end of this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Possible to Garden as an Older Adult?
Yes, it is possible to start new activities like gardening as an older adult, but it is best to consult your doctor before starting any activity and choose activities that are appropriate for your ability level and physical condition.
Does Gardening Help Improve Memory in Older People?
Recreational activities such as gardening and planting flowers and plants can help improve memory in older people.