5 Tips to Renovate a Garden for Senior Care

The 5 Tips to Renovate a Garden for Aging in Place and Senior Care

More seniors are choosing to age in place than ever before. A trend fueled partly by the rising long-term care cost and fast-growing senior population as the Baby Boomer generation ages. Technologies and the broader availability of in-home services are making it easier for older people to remain in their own homes and independently. Implementing home renovations that support aging also helps seniors maintain their independence. Below are tips on renovating the garden for aging in place.

Tips to Make Gardening Easier and Safer for Seniors

Making gardening safer and more accessible for those seniors is a big part of the safety matter, which revolves around highlighting the gardener's capabilities and acknowledging their limitations.

Whether your loved ones love gardening or you're trying to get them interested in a new hobby, try these tips to encourage them to stay active and engaged with nature.

1. Install Fencing

Depending on where your loved ones live, whether in Kittanning or Indiana, fencing may be necessary to keep out deer and other pests.

Add latches and locks to gates if the gardener has a memory loss and is prone to wandering.

2. Build Raised Beds

To build raised beds, you can place lightweight plastic landscape timbers. If necessary, place them at the waist or wheelchair height. Raised beds will enhance drainage and facilitate drainage when living with a senior in Indiana. Raised beds allow seniors to access the plants without bending and straining, protecting aching knees and backs.

3. Make a Vertical Garden

You can make vertical gardens by growing vining plants upwards using trellises, bamboo stakes, tomato cages, fences, walls, or arbors as supports. It will facilitate harvesting and is perfect if outdoor space is scarce when living with a senior in New Kensington.

4. Reassess the Garden

Evaluate the senior's larger garden spaces to reduce the overall maintenance when living with a senior in Pittsburgh. If regular mowing is a problem, replace grass with stunning ground cover, mulched beds, and paved paths for better accessibility.

5. Change Outdoor Stairs

If possible, replace the outdoor stairs with expansive, curving, slightly sloping paths. Use fine gravel on the pathways to provide grip during navigation and reduce the risks of falls and trips. The path width should be four feet to accommodate a wheelchair and walker and wide at each end to give seniors enough area to maneuver their mobility aid and turn around.

The Benefit of Managing the Garden for Seniors

Gardening is an excellent activity for seniors in summer and spring for seniors living in Indiana. It's purposeful, fun, and has numerous health benefits.

Here are the benefits of gardening for seniors;

Reducing Stress

Gardening has been shown to lower cortisol- the stress hormone since it exposes the body. It has also been claimed that soil contains bacteria with antidepressant properties to the sun and physical activity. Additionally, leaving the house alone boosts someone's mental health, when exposed to a different environment.

Encouraging Physical Movements

As the body ages, it becomes more crucial to incorporate physical activities into daily life. Gardening is an excellent physical exercise for seniors as it requires bending, lifting, and stretching.

It's, therefore, an excellent way for seniors to get the aerobic and strength-building exercise they need. It also helps to enhance balance, which is essential for preventing falls at home.

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