Tips For Seniors Who Want To Start Gardening

By Shanele Healy | April 4, 2022 |

Gardening is a wonderful activity to get seniors to be more active. Because it’s a gentle activity it’s appropriate for seniors who may not be in the best physical shape. But it can help seniors get into better physical shape as they tend to their garden throughout the spring and summer. April is National Garden Month and it’s the ideal time for seniors who want to try gardening to learn more about how to get started. You and your senior loved one can use these tips to get ready to garden this spring:

Always Wear Sun Protection

Home Care Assistance in Indian Trail, NC: Seniors and Gardening

Even when the sun doesn’t seem like it’s very intense seniors can get sunburned. The sun is very harsh and mature skin is more susceptible to damage from UV rays than younger skin. When senior are going to be outside gardening in the spring and summer they should always wear sunscreen, long sleeves, and a sun hat to protect them from the sun.

Choose Plants Carefully

Choosing plants and flowers for a garden is part of the fun of gardening. If you’re not sure what plants and flowers will grow well in your area you and your senior loved one can take a trip to a local nursery to get some information. Many nurseries are happy to help new gardeners find the best plants and flowers for the local climate and the type of soil that your senior loved one has at their home. You can also take a trip to the library to get more information about plants and flowers that will thrive in the local area or what flowers and plants are native to the area.

Get More Soil Than You Think You Will Need

When it comes to gardening you can’t have too much soil or too many supplies. Because most of the time you will end up needing more than you have. When you and your senior loved one go shopping for supplies figure out how much soil and fertilizer you think you will need then double that. That’s that amount you should buy. If you can’t accompany your senior loved one on a shopping trip for supplies you can also have them delivered in many places.

Get Plenty Of Adaptive Devices To Make It Easier

Gardening can be physically taxing for seniors who are not used to activity, but there are plenty of adaptive devices that your senior loved one can use to make sure they are comfortable while gardening. They can also get home care assistance which will make it easier for them to do things like dig up the soil, set out planter boxes, and perform other tasks. Home care assistance is a wonderful way to help seniors enjoy aging in place.

Some of the adaptive devices seniors who want to garden should have are knee pads or a cushion to kneel on while gardening, a high quality pair of gardening gloves, and special gardening shoes. You also may want to invest in easy grip gardening tools and a low but sturdy garden cart that your senior loved one can put their supplies in.

If you or an aging loved one are considering in Home Care Assistance in Indian Trail, NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail

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Shanele Healy

Owner at Caring at Heart

Caring for others has always been a passion for the owner. She joined the healthcare field while still in high school believing that every health provider had the same intentions at heart. While working as a nurse assistant,Gloria quickly realized that those whom needed us most were being neglected and not receiving the best quality of care they deserved.
Knowing in her heart that families deserved better, she started Caring At Heart in 2008 with two key goals in mind: To provide clients and their families with an experience that was personable, easy, and reassuring and to create a working environment that employees were excited and proud to be a part of.