Go Green For More Than St. Patrick's Day in Home Care
What’s a better way to welcome warmer weather than by getting out and gardening? Gardening is a great way to spend quality time with the great outdoors as well as beautifying your aging loved one’s home and yard. Planting flower or vegetable seeds is a quick and easy way to get your aging loved ones involved and provide them with a sense of accomplishment. Spending even a short amount of time in the garden is so helpful for maintaining motor skills as well as improving strength. Gardening can be especially beneficial for a veteran loved one. Encouraging recovering military veterans to work in a garden can help lift them out of any depression they may be experiencing, increase their self-esteem and even get them eating better. In home care for veterans from Senior Helpers of Florence can help a loved one with their gardening in the comforts of your loved one’s home and back yard.
There are many ways to make gardening even more accessible for an elderly loved one. One way to make gardening more enjoyable for an aging loved one is to make a comfortable setting. Gardening isn’t always easy on your back, so make sure that you create a comfortable setting for you and your aging loved one. Bringing a small sturdy stool to sit on when visiting a low garden can make the activity more comfortable. If you are unable to kneel on the ground, try potted plants instead. Some find that a raised garden bed will eliminate the need to bend over to plant and pull weeds. Raised gardens help with keeping your loved one upright and are easy to tend.
Companies are creating new tools for gardening that make it easier on an elderly loved one. Garden tools with larger handles are easier to use and if you paint the handles a bright color or use colored electrical tape to wrap them, they are also easier to see. There are garden caddies that have storage for tools and can roll on grass, soil or sidewalk just by pushing your feet. Being close to the ground on a caddy makes planting and weeding much less painful on your back.
Remember to encourage your aging loved ones if they are relatively new to gardening. It’s always best to choose plants that are weather tolerable to potentially difficult conditions for easy care. Flowers and vegetables don’t grow over night, so be sure to keep the excitement alive with your newfound garden. Keep seniors engaged by having them visit the garden daily. Our older loved ones tend to have a lowered ability to tolerate heat so it’s advisable to choose a time to be outside that is before or after the hottest time of the day in the summer which is between 10 am and 6 pm. Typically, the best time of day to be in the garden is in the coolness of morning with shade options available.
Once the garden is in full bloom, help your aging loved ones enjoy the flowers and vegetables by sharing with their friends and family. You can also use the vegetables to create a healthy snack for everyone to share!
Go Green for more Than St Patrick’s Day with in home care for veterans from Senior Helpers of Florence in all areas of Ft. Mitchell, Edgewood, Crestview Hills, Union, Villa Hills. Call 859-283-5500 today!