horticultural therapy for nursing home and daycare services

7/30/2019 Horticultural Therapy for nursing home and Daycare services

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T h e r a p e u T i c

G a r d e n i n GRight for your employees. Right for you.

ToomanyolderadulTsand

peoplewiThphysicalormenTal

impairmenTsin irelandareliving

under-sTimulaTed, isolaTedlives.

As a result, care-givers struggle to find ways

to support the people they serve, who often

feeling helpless and alone. Despite their

best efforts, their lives often lack meaning,

spontaneity, choice and connection.

Thats where GardenWell helps - a

programme that brings Therapeutic

Horticulture into the lives of seniors and people

with physical and mental impairments to

empower them to be more active, connected,

and engaged in life - key ingredients for living

healthier, more fulfilling and longer lives!

Therapeutic Horticulture uses recreation,

leisure and meaningful activity to create

favourable change in the person being

served. Services can be provided to a

variety of populations. Common interventions

include gentle physical activity, social and

community involvement, cognitive stimulation,

reminiscence, sensory stimulation, and plant

therapy.

Common benefits include autonomy and

choice in how free time is spent, improved

physical skills, fall prevention, new skill

development, slowed down cognitive decline,

ability to participate in favourite activities in

adapted ways, improved quality of life, and

peace of mind for families. In fact, studies

have long shown that keeping active

(physically and mentally) and participating in

leisure activities can slow the aging process. It

can even prevent or delay many diseases and

disabilities.

We all know the benefits of gardening.

Recently there have been many studies

documenting the positive impact of gardening

on depression, anxiety, agitation, pain and

insomnia. GardenWell is a programme that

brings the therapeutic joys of gardening

into the lives of the elderly or infirm, vastly

improving quality of life.

The program was designed by Sinead Drew

to help reconnect people with their histories,

memory and family and to restore a sense of

self often lost through the aging process and

disability. Gardening, one-on-one or in groups,

can relieve boredom, empower choice, enable

memory and encourage connection and

communication with family and caregivers.

conTenTs:paGeone: Therapeutic GardeningpaGeTwo: GardenWell Horticultural Therapy for older adultspaGeThree: About Sinead Drew and GardenWell - Brief bio and mission.paGefour: How GardenWell can help - Gardening and horticulture activities and programmes.

horTiculTuralTherapy

sinead drew (01) 487 5660 [email protected] www .Gardenwell.orG


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Gardening is a wonderfully flexible

medium that can transform lives,

regardless of age or disability.

Better physical health through

exercise and learning how to use

or strengthen muscles to improve

mobility

Improved mental health through a

sense of purpose and achievement

The opportunity to connect with

others reducing feelings of

isolation or exclusion

Just feeling better for being in

touch with nature

Activities can be geared towards any of

the following objectives:

Living and self-care independence

Physical health maintenance

Physical health improvement

Cognitive functional-levelmaintenance

Age appropriate leisure skilldevelopment

Emotional status improvement

Social interaction with peers

Kind hearts are

the garden, kind

thoughts are the root,

kind words are the

blossoms, kind deeds

are the fruit

- John Ruskin

WHAT

Garden programme for older adults

with or without physical or mental

impairments. Offering gardening and

social, recreational and therapeutic

plant and garden activities.

WHY

Gardening empowers us to be more

active, connected, and engaged in life

- key ingredients for living healthier,

more fulfilling and longer lives!

WHERE

Nursing Homes and Daycare centres.

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

The GardenWell horticultural therapyprogramme offers residents the

opportunity to participate in four-

season garden clubs. These groups

involve residents in a wide array of

activities related to plants, gardening,

nature and the outdoor environment.

Residents meet weekly or twice a

month with a horticultural therapist.

Horticulture therapy is one of the

best ways to improve the emotional

state of residents in nursing homes.

Tending to plants decreases anxiety

and develops and maintains gross

motor skills. Also, sitting in a gardensetting produces mental and sensory

stimulation.

Sample activities may include:

Aromatic Herbals

Creating seasonal fresh-cut floral

arrangements

Indoor plantscaping and plant care

Creating magnificent hanging

baskets and window boxes

Harvesting food and flowers

Eco-Terrariums

Succulent Masterpieces

Designer Containers

Skeleton Leaf Art

Gardenwell horTiculTural Therapy

forolderadulTs

usinG naTure To nurTureGardenWell Vision: To enrich peoples lives through the therapeutic joys of gardening. To be inclusive,

respective and caring to all people at any stage of live. By providing supportive, professional and positive

gardening programmes, GardenWell aims to lighten the load of everyday life, to spark an unknown

interest or passion and allow each person to blossom in their own way and time.

BenefiTsofGardeninG


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profile

My activities are varied but focus on

championing the benefits of gardening

to individuals and organisations, as well

as teaching techniques and practical

applications so that everyone can take

part and enjoy gardening.

I have experience with many garden

projects serving a wide variety of

agencies and individuals.

One of my key activities is to help

marginalised people to enjoy and to

continue gardening. I offer help and

advice and practical experience.

I offer vocational horticulture training

and tailored gardening programmes andcurricula for many client populations.

I also conduct research to increase

understanding of the power that

gardening has to change peoples lives.

i wasbroughTupinalargefamilywiThasprawlinggarden

roses, camellias,agorgeous clemaTis monTanaandTons

ofdaylilies i wasluckyTohaveamoTherwhowasakeen

gardenerandwhobesToweduponmeherknowledgeandloveof

planTsandflowers...

aBouTme

... Most days I would be handed out

tasks that, with hindsight, would lay

many of the foundations for what I do

today. The lawn had to be mown, the

onions weeded, carrots thinned or

perhaps the strawberries harvested.

I spent a long time in the garden and,

despite my tender age, learnt how to do

many basic horticultural tasks. I learnt

the cycle of nature.

This contentment

is something I

always refer back

to, especially when

Im feeling down.

The garden and

gardening itself hasnever failed to be a

source of inspiration

and comfort for me.

For many years this

did not translate into anything other than

a private richness. I did my B.A degree

in Communications and I studied

Physical Therapy for a time, I worked

many different jobs. My husband and I

gardened together from almost the first

day we bought our first home but in ourown time. The thought of gardening as a

vocation never entered my mind.

It was when I worked as a facilitator

in an activity based rehabilitation

sinead drew: Gardenwellprogramme that I first saw how essential

positive training is to recovery and

development. At that time, I had never

even heard of horticultural therapy or

therapeutic horticulture.

My quest for more knowledge

continued, a formal qualification in

horticulture followed and then, as

luck would have it, I got my break

co-coordinating and running a pilot

horticultural activity programme in

a new state-of-the-art residential

care facility catering for people with

a variety of conditions ranging from

depression, challenging behaviours,

autism, acquired brain injuries, the blind

and personality

disorders.

I went on to do

a postgraduate

qualification

in Social and

Therapeutic

Horticulture

in CoventryUniversity, which

paved the way for

many invaluable

experiences

in many garden projects that have

served a wide variety of agencies and

individuals.

Today, my work at GardenWell aims

to be a bridge between the world of

horticulture and the world of health.

Simple things cutting a hedge,planting a tray of sunflowers can

lighten the load of everyday life, can

spark an unknown interest or passion

and allow each person to blossom in

their own way and time.

Sinead has a fantastic

ability to motivate others to

do meaningful activities, she

encourages self belief and

independence. Its just amazing

how much positive feedbackthe participants give .

Dr. Tom OBrien

a b o u T


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w h aT ga r d e n w e l l o f f e r s

Being part of

the garden

programmehas helped me

become more

independent and

motivated

Sinead is very

easy to talk to, she

can get the best

out of me which

is very good. She

motivates me to

garden

The most valuable

thing Sinead

has done for me

is to keep me

focused on what

I am doing, my

concentration

levels have reallyincreased

Using my passion for the power of gardening to positively impact

the lives of people, I will:

nTeach practical and creative ways to use gardeningnSupport positive social bondsnLearn more about how gardening helps usnTalk about what I do and how I help others to help their

community be a better place by using gardening

nWork with organisations and the individuals they serveI offer a person centred series of engaging plant and natural craft

activities as part of every GardenWell programme.

To find out more about SInead Drew and GardenWell:

nvisit www.gardenwell.orgnPhone 01 487 5660nor send an email to [email protected]

Contact Sinead

01 487 5660

087 6977 486

moBileindoor / ouTdoor Garden sysTems

If your group has limited access to outdoor space, or local restrictions that prevent

the establishment of an outdoor garden, indoor gardening is an excellent alternative.

During wet and cold conditions Mobile Gardens are perfect for indoor activities.

horticultural therapy for nursing home and daycare services

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