Gardening at Bria Senior Living Homes

Watching a loved one get older can be difficult to do, and you understandably want this stage in their life to be comfortable, enjoyable and active. You want them to stay independent, happy, and healthy for many years to come. One of the best things to do for seniors is to encourage them find a hobby or some type of physical activity they enjoy.

Gardening is perhaps one of the best hobbies for seniors, as it offers a wonderful balance of activity for both the body and the mind. It’s a great way to promote wellness and vitality, and most people find it incredibly relaxing and satisfying.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the many benefits of gardening.

Stay Physically Healthy

Gardening is an ideal physical activity for seniors, since it’s likely they will feel motivated to keep up with on a daily basis. After all, they’ll want to make sure those plants flourish! It requires lifting, bending, reaching, and other movements that are ideal for older adults to do. Many seniors will spend an hour or more out in their garden each day planting new plants, pulling weeds, tilling the soil, fertilizing the plants and more. That’s a pretty solid workout for people of any age!

There’s also the added benefit of growing your own food. If healthy eating is a concern, growing their own food will be a great way to encourage eating those fruits and veggies. Being outdoors and surrounded by the sunshine and fresh air on a regular basis is also beneficial to the body. When people are active, they naturally gravitate towards a healthier lifestyle.

Enhance Your Mental Ability

Gardening on a regular basis helps your loved one to stay mentally alert and focused. They’ll have a lot to think about, even when they aren’t working in the garden. In the planning stages, they’ll have to consider what type of garden they would like and the kinds of plants they wish to include. Once the garden has been started, they’ll be busy thinking about that needs to be done on a daily basis to keep the plants alive and thriving. At every stage in the process, they’ll have lots of things on the go, keeping them focused and alert. It also can be quite a relaxing activity, making it ideal for soothing anxiety and worry. It’s the perfect activity for seniors to find renewed pleasure in their lives.

Set Life Goals

Everyone needs a goal. As adults, we spend so much of our time focused on our careers, planning our futures, and contributing to our families. Once retirement arrives, you no longer have the concerns of work and planning for retirement. Creating new goals is important, as it keeps you focused and engaged.

Even having small goals helps immensely. Gardening gives seniors a goal to work towards. They’ll have new goals as they move through the steps: they’ll plan out the garden, purchase supplies and materials, then work toward keeping the garden happy and thriving. If they grow produce, there is plenty to do after the harvest, and they might become more interested in cooking or canning.

Make Gardening Social

Gardening may seem like it would be a solo activity. While it can be done alone, there are ways to encourage socialization through gardening. For example, your senior relative may ask a friend or neighbour to assist with gardening regularly and may share the harvest with them.

There are also online gardening chat groups that you can encourage your loved one to participate in. This way, even when the individual is not actively outside gardening, the activity can give them additional constructive ways to spend time.

Get Your Loved One Started With Gardening

To encourage your loved one to start gardening, here are a few things you can do to assist with the process:

• Purchase a few gardening books that you’ll know they’ll like
• Put together a starter kit, including gardening tools, a sun hat, gardening gloves, and other necessary items, and
• Get them started by preparing the garden bed ahead of time.

While there are many activities that you can encourage your loved one to get involved in, gardening is an ideal activity for seniors. Many seniors plant a garden several times per year and devote their time and attention to raising their plants.

At Bria Communities, we provide seniors with an active living experience that encourages vitality and independence. To learn more about what we offer, contact us today.