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Many people find sitting quietly in a
garden provides them with feelings of rest and calm. This has not been lost on operators of
nursing homes. More and more facilities
are using gardens, both indoors and out, to help residents feel calm.
If your loved-one really enjoyed their time
outdoors either just sitting in the garden or perhaps working in the garden,
look for a long-term care facility that employs greenery to foster that same
sense of calm in the residents.
There are nursing homes that use a
combination of green space inside the facility as well as having gardens
outside for the residents to enjoy. One
of the ways that nature can be incorporated into a long-term care setting is
through the use of a horticultural program run by the Activation
Therapist. Look for nursing homes that
have raised flower and vegetable beds outside so that the residents can safely
plant, dig and weed to their heart’s content.
If the flower beds are raised, residents can still enjoy planting and
tending to their patch of garden while sitting on a chair or even in their
wheelchair. For the winter months, the
facilities may have special growing rooms where the seniors can go to tend to
their plants and seedlings.
The movements required to tend to a garden
help to keep the senior active physically. The mental stimulation of choosing
the plants, deciding which plants are weeds, or even picking the flowers or
vegetables to be enjoyed by other residents or staff help to make the senior
feel involved in decision-making. They
feel that they are contributing and that leads to a stronger sense of
self.
If your senior preferred to sit quietly in
a garden, then look for a facility that has indoor green spaces where residents
can gather when the weather isn’t warm enough to sit outdoors. Outdoor green spaces should have plenty of
shade and seating for residents and their visitors. For seniors who might wander, the outside
green areas should be completely fenced with no way to access it except through
a door from inside the facility.
Using nature to calm people isn’t new but
using nature as part of the person-centred model of care for residents is
something that is slowly gaining ground.
If the facility that you choose has an outside garden then take the time
to stroll through them with your loved-one and enjoy the sights, sounds and
smells that nature has to offer.
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