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Tag: gardening for seniors

Is Gardening Beneficial for Seniors with Dementia?

            As spring transitions to summer, countless people are taking advantage of gardening in their homes. Even though not everybody has a green thumb, gardening is beneficial, especially for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. Follow below to learn why gardening is helpful for people with Alzheimer’s or related forms of Dementia.

Gardening Benefits

Gardening can improve Alzheimer’s or a similar type of Dementia without medications. Digging in the soil can reduce nervousness and fretfulness for seniors. Additionally, maintaining and planting new flowers can increase a sense of independence and boost confidence for older adults. Gardening can reduce pain and reliance on pain medications for many people. Seniors with Dementia will enhance their memory and ability to have happier days.

Gardening Essentials

As a caregiver for somebody with Alzheimer’s disease, you need to create an outdoor space that helps them enjoy time with you. Below are a few ideas to help get started and stay on track:

  1. Preparation: Preparing where to start gardening and what plants to use is vital. It will help creativity, exercise, and more. Caregivers and senior adults can choose what flowers, herbs, and vegetables to use to grow over time.
  • Garden containers and beds: Sometimes, there are moments when there is no place to plant a garden in the ground. Or, a senior who has mobility challenges may be restricted from growing flowers they want. Containers or raised beds take less space and provide a safer way to care for a garden, and it is a fun way to take care of plants.
  • Circular Gardens: A safety concern that comes up when considering people facing Alzheimer’s or a related type of Dementia is a patient wandering off, and creating a garden path that makes a circle can lower the wandering. Also, keep the senior gardens far away from exits or gates.
  • A Comfortable Seat: Gardening can be difficult, so it is crucial to have a place to rest. A comfortable bench or chair in the garden can be very beneficial.
  • Be Mindful: Sharing responsibility for a few garden tasks with a senior can help them. Being mindful that some functions may be too complex for seniors can help them not overexert themselves.

Following these helpful tips can help your loved one feel appreciated and have a healthier lifestyle. Gardening is a great way to bond with them as well.

In Summary

Finding an activity for an adult with Alzheimer’s can be difficult. Yet, one of the best things they can do to improve their health is gardening. Gardening is one of the activities done at Home Instead. At Home Instead Senior Care, we provide gardening activities for your loved one. For more information on our activities in Wilmington, NC, please call us at (910) 342-0455 or visit our website here.

The 3 Secrets of Seniors Who Stay Active

Bingo is so overrated. After all, it’s completely sedentary, and keeps mental stimulation quite lax. Thankfully, there is an abundance of better activities for the seniors we know and love. Below are some of the superior alternatives that can offer lots of room for creativity or rigorous thinking.

Pottery classes

Although this one requires sitting often, the upper body can get quite a workout from it. If the seniors in your life love getting their creative juices flowing, pottery classes can be excellent opportunities for them to build masterpieces. Getting one’s hands dirty with slimy and sticky substances can also stimulate sensory skills, since tactile and olfactory skills are crucial here. Having others besides oneself doing the same activity can be great for socialization, as well as intellectual stimulation. Transforming a lump of clay into an ordered form takes planning, calculation, and aesthetic evaluation. What a wonderful thing pottery is!

A potter shapes an earthen vessel.

Water aerobics

Osteoporosis is seriously excruciating, which is why water aerobics (also called waterobics) is a fantastic alternative to exercising on land. Regular aerobics is designed to strengthen the heart, and water aerobics accomplishes the same without putting unnecessary strain on ligaments and joints. Water aerobics is not only suitable for the elderly, but also for those who wish to exercise without blowing out one’s knees. Warm water, in particular, is great for those with arthritis. Overweight individuals too should be able to participate in the activity without being concerned about messing up their spine or hips. And the best part? All the laughter one gets to share with others doing the workout! Doing cardio doesn’t have to mean smashing one’s soles against the hard pavement; simply encourage your elders to oxygenate aquatically! (Better yet, do it together!)

Elderly people participate in water aerobics.

Gardening/Landscaping

This third activity incorporates both creativity and movement. An art form that combines physical coordination and artistic coordination, gardening can be a marvelous outlet for the homemaker, the artisan, and the homebody. The wonderful thing about gardening is that the complex cultivation of various flora and management of the fauna is available for all skill levels. The superb flower arranger can find room to experiment, while the novice can help hose the beautiful mini forest and make it sparkle in sunlight. Watching the colors harmonize and the birds sing can make for great places at which grandparents can play with their grandchildren. (All the more reason to pick up that shovel and start planting!)

An elderly couple play with a water hose in a yard.

Conclusion

Climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator can be a great method for exercise, except for the monotonous aspect; and participating in a book club can be a valuable way to socialize and make friends, except for the sedentary aspect. Putting a slight variation to any number of activities can make them fantastic and creative. For more senior care ideas, simply reach out to Home Instead Senior Care!