Last updated on November 8th, 2023 at 09:49 am
Gardening For Older Generations. Recent research has revealed that roughly 2 million American seniors infrequently or never go out of their homes. The same research has indicated that going outside daily may help you live longer. This is one reason why gardening is such a good option for older adults. As well as helping to combat sleep deprivation, gardening offers considerable benefits when it comes to emotional and physical health, particularly in later life. Better yet, there are various ways in which to make gardening accessible to all, whatever your physical limitations or levels of confidence.
Making your garden accessible
First things first, it is important to make your garden easy to get to and navigate, particularly if you are living with certain physical impairments. Depending on your budget, it is worth investing in professional garden construction services so that you end up with a design that suits your physical needs and personal interests. This might mean leveling the ground to reduce the risk of a fall, or raising certain beds to make them easier to reach. Whatever the size and design of your garden, the fact that 48% of falls in seniors happening outdoors means that focusing on its accessibility is time (and money) well spent.
Feel the Health Benefits
The physical and emotional benefits of gardening and plentiful. Not only have studies shown the stress-busting impact of gardening for just thirty minutes each day, but gardening provides a good physical workout too. Activities related to gardening such as bending, reaching, digging, and planting make the heart work, increasing blood flow and boosting lung capacity. New research has reported that gardening for as little as 10 minutes a week at the age of 40-85 makes you 12% less likely to die of a heart attack or other cardiovascular trauma.
Gardening can be an affordable hobby
Living on a budget can be particularly necessary for seniors, depending on their retirement funds and daily costs. Gardening can provide a creative, stimulating, and energizing hobby at a relatively low cost. Perennials such as peonies, for example, cost around $5 for 5000 seeds, and are attractive and easy to grow. A Candy Oh! Rosebush, meanwhile, will set you back about $30 and is surprisingly low-maintenance, impressively hardy and attractively colorful.
Gardening has no age limit
It can be easy to have doubts about your own abilities as you get older, particularly when it comes to getting to grips with something new. However, gardening is not just for the young or physically healthy. No matter your age or physical capabilities, there are plenty of ways of making gardening accessible. Its proven health benefits make it a hobby very much worth pursuing.
Gardening For Older Generations