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As a hobby or profession, gardening can prove very therapeutic. It can be done over several hours, and the feel of nature’s mud in the hands while digging and planting with thoughts of the beauty that will surface in a few weeks or months, is enough reward for the hard work it may seem to be. The good thing about gardening is that even elders who are fit enough can enjoy this hobby – all one needs is ‘green fingers’. Keeping things elder-friendly Since they are dealing with elders, nursing homes like care home Chippenham are always kept exceptionally spic and span and tuned to every need of the elders. This applies to their outdoor spaces also. Wide paths are provided so that elders moving around in wheel chairs can move around comfortably. Besides wheelchairs if elders require any other type of assistance these too are made available. So when the weather is sunny and gardening beckons you will see many of the inmates out in the garden, clipping, snipping - and the more agile ones even doing some planting. Is it fruits or flowers? Gardening can provide you with both. If the elders are more into fruit-producing plants, they can put their hands to this. The pride they experience when the first tomatoes or other such vegetables and fruit first pop up makes all the labour worthwhile. Other vegetables which are easy to plant and provide good eating throughout summer, are spring onions, lettuce and radish. Those elders who are flower-lovers get their quota of pride fulfilled when the blooms burst forth in all their glory of colours. Care home Chippenham allows the elders to share the fruits of their labour (vegetables, fruit or flowers) with their loved ones who visit, or with other inmates in the home. Preparation requirements for gardening • Create a compost pile from dead plants for use when planting. • After a harsh winter the lawn needs to be weeded and some bald patches might require re-seeding. • The soil needs to be checked to ensure its condition is good. See that the drainage is proper as if the soil is too wet and water logged, it will affect the growth of the plants. When planning to grow fruit and vegetables check the instructions on the bulb packs as some need special conditions to grow well. • Most gardens will have a handy shed in which to store all the tools and other appliances during the winter months. Just before planting starts, the shed should be tidied up – all unwanted and out of date seeds etc should be disposed off. By doing this you will get a good idea as to what new items are required – whether they be gloves, shears etc. Other options In case the nursing care homes Chippenham does not have a garden where elders can work in during spring, some towns have community garden centres where people over 50 years of age with green thumbs, can volunteer to work. A small fee or contribution is charged for each visit – the funds collected are used to buy the required seeds, bulbs, tools and look after general garden maintenance.
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