Ten Garden Solutions for Seniors
Keeping our parents safe indoors is one thing, but outdoors, there are a new unique set of challenges.
Mom & Dad may still live in the family home, and thus, they still want to tend to the garden they have for many years. Yet, many do not have the physical stamina or ability to do what they did before. In addition, many seniors may still live independently, but can no longer do what they did before, and a garden can become overgrown, and present fire hazards, from dry brush fires or lightning storms in the future. Just as indoors, we need to be mindful of the outdoors as well.
How can you help keep Mom and Dad safe in the garden?
- Simplify. Make sure to replace high maintenance plants with shrubs. Plants like roses that are prone to disease and overgrowth are not practical for someone who does not have the stamina to work the garden several days a weeks. Look to replace these kinds of plants with flowering shrubs like azaleas, hydrangeas or rhododendrons.
- Containers! Containers! Containers! Bring the garden closer to the door. Container gardening provides the view that Mom and Dad look for, and at the same time, outside of watering and a bit of fertilizing can be enjoyed for years to come. Many types of flowers, plants, vegetables and herbs can thrive well in planters and containers, and when it is time to move Mom and Dad from the home into retirement living, these can be brought with them in many cases.
- Hire a yard service. Face it. Mom and Dad don’t have the strength to mow their own yard, and do you REALLY get the time to get out and mow it, trim and weed regularly for them? Many yard service companies have senior rates and will show up regularly to make sure that the lawn is mowed and that the yard is kept weed free and trimmed back.
- Use organic fertilizers and remedies. Seniors’ skin and lungs can be more sensitive to chemicals. Especially, they can react from chemicals if they are on certain medications. Make sure that any treatment that is used on the yard is organic and free of chemicals
- Minimize the fall factor. Replace stepping stones with concrete walkways. Make sure you inspect fully for any potholes or mounds that might cause them to fall. If you have outdoor electrical cords, make sure these are secured against the house. At night, make sure outdoor lights are on motion detectors. Install underground sprinkler systems to avoid tripping over hoses. Make sure there are handrails to prevent falls. If you have access to a landscape company, many will go out and do a survey to modify a yard and present a plan complimentary. Remember, if Mom or Dad fall in the garden, often times they are alone and it isn’t so easy for them to get help!
- Eliminate vine typed ground covers like vinca or ivy. These types of vines are too easy to get caught around a walker, a cane, or a foot and cause Mom and Dad to trip and fall. They also can be deceitful and cover up potholes which should be filled.
- Plant fresh herbs near the door. Fresh herbs not only improve their diet, and most importantly, they are low maintenance and often times fragrant
- Pay close attention to walkways. Keep things trimmed back regularly. Plants can grow very quickly, especially in the summer months after a summer rain.
- Find tools to make the job easier. If your parents still love to garden make sure they have strong garden gloves and clothes. Also there are now tools on the market to help make the job a lot easier. In addition Caregiving agencies also can provide helpers that can come in and garden WITH Mom & Dad. One product out on the market is Bionic Gloves. (www.bionicgloves.com) These types of gloves were invented by an orthopedic hand surgeon and helps them to grip more easily, therefore reducing stress on the body.
- Raised garden beds can help a lot! Yes, raising up garden beds is an upfront expense, but not only are the plants more protected from slugs and other types of invaders, they are easier on an elderly persons’ back and also make for less accidents.
Bring the Garden Indoors!
There is no doubt that when we visit our parents, they miss us after we leave. On your visits with them, go out to the garden and cut a bouquet to enjoy. In addition, because I personally am an avid gardener, I try to always cut a bouquet of flowers from my garden as well to bring and share with her. A bouquet of flowers always gives a basis for her to converse with others with.
Make sure that whenever you visit, if often, change the water and trim off the stems regularly. Avoid putting flower bouquets in direct sunlight or near electronics. They do best in a well lit room, but out of direct sunshine. Fresh flowers are not only great to look at, they are fragrant and the memory of you having been there will live on for days afterward.
Keep vases on lower shelves and accessible so they can reach them easily. Make sure that pruning sheers and water additives to keep flowers fresh are around.
A Garden is the Anticipation of Life!
I truly believe that flowers and a garden bring Life into a home. Think about it. When Mom and Dad are gardening and helping things grow, they are looking ahead to the future. The future, when the seed becomes a sprout. When the sprout starts to grow into a plant. Then the plant will bring buds. Finally, the buds will bloom, and the journey to when that happens is something they truly look forward to.
As our parents age, it is the little things- their smaller world- that they adapt to. A garden is a wonderful way to help them with the anticipation of Life. They are reminded and looking forward to things to come, and thus, they have the will to live!