What Are the Benefits Of Container Gardening for the Elderly?

Have you ever heard of container gardening?
It’s the process of growing flowers, vegetables and fruits in containers like pots and barrels instead of in a tilled ground. Container gardening is ideal for people who have physical limitations and can no longer do traditional gardening. Elderly adults with illness or injury who are interested in gardening as a hobby can have a lot of fun and activity with container gardens. If you want to get your aging parent into a meaningful hobby with lots of benefits, container gardening can be quite rewarding.

 

Elderly Care in Springfield VA: Elderly Container Gardening

Elderly Care in Springfield VA: Elderly Container Gardening

 

Benefits of Container Gardening for Seniors

When elderly adults need to develop a hobby, container gardening is ideal. Seniors get many physical benefits from container gardening. They get some exercise outdoors in the sunshine, which boosts vitamin D, and fresh air, too. Gardening can improve stamina and strength and help them with everything from better balance to improving fine motor skills.

There are mental health benefits from container gardening as well. Aging adults often don’t feel very independent when they have family caregivers and elderly care providers assisting them with daily living. However, with container gardening, aging adults can do a lot of the work themselves and reap the rewards. Their self-esteem grows when they manage a garden successfully and gives them a real sense of purpose.

 

Container Gardens Fit Every Ability

Seniors can do a lot of the planning and execution of a container garden, with a little help from family caregivers and elder care providers. It doesn’t matter what the abilities are of the aging adult, there’s a container garden setup that will work. From tiny herbs in pots on a tabletop to several large pots lining a patio, container gardens fit every need that an elderly adult might have.

 

Here are a few tips for family caregivers to keep in mind when it comes to setting up a container garden:

  • Create container gardens that are raised up high enough for aging adults to avoid bending, kneeling, twisting and more.
  • Choose plants that are cultivated for optimum container growth, including tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, strawberries, herbs, and flowers.
  • Seniors should always wear sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats when out in the un
  • Dehydration is a real danger when seniors are exerting themselves outside in the warmer weather.
  • Family caregivers and elder care providers should always accompany elderly adults to help as needed.

 

There’s no doubt that container gardening can bring a lot of joy and satisfaction into an aging adult’s life. It’s a fantastic hobby for the aging adult that perhaps once gardened or wants to try it for the first time. With support from family caregivers and elder care providers, seniors can decide that container gardening is worth a try.

 

Are you or a loved-one considering hiring Elderly Care in Springfield, VA?  Please call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. Contact: 703-273-8818

Michelle DeFilippis