April is National Garden Month and it’s a great time for seniors to make sure they are ready to get their garden going when the time is right. Gardening is a great activity for seniors because it gives seniors a reason to be outside enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. The gentle activities of gardening help seniors get more activity without overdoing it. And digging in the dirt can be very helpful for good mental health. Seniors who want to garden but have some physical challenges that make it difficult can benefit from home care. When seniors have home care they have assistance with everything from house chores to gardening. Some of the other things seniors will need to garden this spring and summer are:
A Good Garden Cart
A wheeled garden cart will make it much easier for seniors to do things like move plants, bags of mulch, and other gardening supplies from the garage to the garden and anywhere else that seniors need to take them. A foldable canvas card is lightweight but can hold quite a bit of stuff. And because the cart folds up it can be stored easily without taking up too much space. A home care provider can help seniors move the cart if it’s too heavy for them to move easily.
Knee Pads Or A Gardening Cushioning
Seniors will need some type of cushion for the times when they need to kneel down to plant, edge around plants, or weed the plants in the garden. There are special gardening cushions designed for seniors that have thick padding designed to allow seniors to safely and comfortably knee. Or seniors can wear special knee pads made for gardening to help seniors protect their knees while they’re working in the garden.
Sturdy Gardening Shoes
Proper sturdy footwear is essential for seniors when they are gardening. Wearing non-slip, cushioned, well-fitting footwear will help seniors avoid falling when they are walking or working in the garden. Since wet soil, plants, and leaves can all be slippery it’s important for seniors to have shoes that have good tread too. Gardening shoes designed for seniors are a good purchase for seniors to make before they start gardening. Adding insoles or support cushion inserts to their existing gardening shoes can also make shoes more comfortable. And seniors should always be careful about twisting an ankle when they are walking on uneven garden paths.
Easy Grip Gardening Tools
Gardening tools can be difficult for seniors to grip and handle. But seniors need to be able to use a trowel, a rake, and other tools to plant and to keep their gardens tidy. Seniors should look for garden tools that have large, thick, easy to grip handles so that they will be able to easily grasp the tools. There are also foam and rubber grips that can be put on over the handle of their existing tools that will make those tools easier to grip.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Brookline, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare + today. Call (617) 237-0867
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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