Seniors and Gardening Activities During National Gardening Month
Senior Care in Philadelphia
Spring is finally here, and the whole month of April is National Garden Month. Finally, the therapy of gardening is once again an available option to senior adults in search of a fun yet calming alternative physical activity – which experts say can burn up to 200-400 calories an hour. For older adults especially, gardening can be as much of a mood booster as it is a good form of low-impact exercise.
Before encouraging an elderly individual to garden, however, it is important to ensure the following:
- Stay hydrated. Spring brings in a lot of sun, but the pleasant, cool weather may mask thirst. Aside from preexisting medical conditions, and a highly probable penchant for coffee, senior adults are more prone to dehydration because of a decrease in water content as the body ages. Encourage elderly to take small but regular sips of water throughout the day, and rehydrate especially after prolonged sun exposure. Infusing water with lemon or a fruit of their choice may help the task of staying hydrated more tolerable.
- Sun protection. Applying sunscreen daily is recommended by skin experts to people of all ages, but this is especially necessary for aging skin. It is important to remember that, in dealing with senior care, getting some “fresh air and sunshine” should be prepared for with adequate SPF, and at least a wide-brimmed hat.
- Limber up. Gardening involves a lot of bending over, kneeling, and lifting, which can be quite difficult for many senior adults. Guide them through a quick stretch and some joint-warming range of motion exercises before they take to the garden. The few minutes spent on warming up for the tasks at hand could mean the difference between a relaxing experience and a pulled back.
- Invest in ergonomic tools. A lot of the physical strain of gardening on the aging body can be relieved by using specially-designed tools, such as a rolling garden seat with a basket or tray, or a lightweight gardening stool that flips over and doubles as a kneeler.
- Remember that old age means not being able to do everything one used to do in the garden. When it comes to gardening tasks that involve more exertion than planting flowers and pulling out weeds, such as lifting heavier loads and climbing ladders, senior adults need to remember to ask for assistance. Wrong body mechanics or a fall from a ladder could cause unnecessary injury and put a damper on one’s quality of life.
If you or an aging loved one are considering in-home senior care in Philadelphia, please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Owner & Administrator at True Direct Home Health Care
True Direct HHC owner and administrator, Perry C. Doc Alleva has been in the health care community for over 10 years as a therapy solutions provider, as well as a home care services coordinator. He has extensive experience in caring for the disabled and the surgical acute, sub-acute, and rehab population. Rooted in his home-town city of Philadelphia, with strong ties to it's vast neighborhoods and communities, he's now focusing all his energies towards innovating the home health care agency's role in providing the essential care needed from individual to the family throughout the community.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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