grow for life
Sarah Thornton discovers that gardening has numerous benefits for older people far beyond providing cut flowers and vegetables.
The latest census confirms what we already know; New Zealand has an aging population. The number of people aged 65 and over has doubled since 1980 and is likely to double again to around 1.2 million over the next 30 years.
Gardening is a way to keep healthy and active in our golden years and the benefits are numerous, whether your garden is a quarter-acre plot or a few containers on a small balcony.
Gardening has many health and therapeutic benefits for older people. Apart from providing beautiful vases full of flowers or nutritious produce, gardening can be an enjoyable form of exercise, which can improve mobility and flexibility. It can also help increase endurance and strength, and help to prevent diseases like osteoporosis. And tinkering around in your flower bed or tending to your container plants may reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Research published recently in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that pottering in the garden or fixing up the house have been linked to a longer life in a study of people over the age of 60. Older people can struggle to exercise vigorously, with the study reporting that simply getting off the sofa and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle was a lifesaver with the risk of heart attacks and strokes cut significantly.
Other research suggests that the therapeutic qualities of gardens are becoming more recognised as a way to improve the health of those suffering from dementia and Alzheimers.
Research gathered by the nursery industry confirms that spending time in the garden may go some way to help soothe the agitation that commonly strikes people with dementia. Gardening can also provide sufferers with a much-wanted sense of control, which can also assist with social interaction.
Invaluable around hospitals and care homes, gardens are places of peace and quiet without overwhelming visual stimulation, a place for dementia sufferers and their carers to spend time together.