Plants Improve Quality of Life in Caregiver Home

Garden for Therapy or Enjoy the Therapeutic Rewards of Indoor Plants

Sep 27, 2009

Persons young, aged or disabled benefit from gardening therapy. Indoor plants have natural calming effects for caregivers, the elders in their care, or ailing loved ones.

Gardening is one of the most popular pastimes in the United States. Planting and pruning promote exercise, improve self-esteem, and provide a sense of accomplishment. A private garden is a place of refuge where anyone of any age can relax and enjoy the gifts of nature. Indoor plants also promote an attractive healthy environment in the home or in a public building. Whether it's a vase of flowers, fields of wild daisies, or a pristine cultivated garden, plants have genuine therapeutic value.

Plants support physical, mental, and emotional healing by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, alleviating depression, and stimulating the mind. Working daily or even a few times a week with vegetables or blooming plants indulges the five senses. People with disabilities, children with developmental delay, elderly people, and persons with mental illness, are just a few of the many groups that benefit from horticultural therapy. No matter what level of ability, plant care encourages participation, motivation, and independence.

Patients and Caregivers Benefit From Gardens and Indoor Plants

A caregiver can use gardening to help a loved one cope with isolation and boredom. Elderly people benefit from the mental and physical stimulation of caring for plants. A caregiver's job becomes easier when an elderly loved one feels useful, is in good spirits, and is mentally focused on living. If outdoor gardening is not an option, then indoor plants provide gardening pleasure, too.

Children with developmental delay have fun planting seeds and watering a garden. Kids of all ages are attracted to the colors and smells of plants and flowers. Most all kids get excited when it comes to digging in the dirt. It is possible to get garden tools adapted for people with disabilities or elderly people who might have difficulty managing traditional equipment.

Kids are intrigued by the sounds of birds, dried leaves underfoot, and water spraying from sprinklers. Raw and cooked vegetables from a home garden provide a multitude of new tastes. Plant leaves, tree bark, seeds, bulbs, and flower petals provide a world of new textures. Kids are stimulated by the natural environment. Caregivers can get in on the fun of gardening with kids, as well.

The website, Bachman's Floral Gifts and Garden, explains the therapeutic interest of gardening in the article, "Horticultural Therapy: What is It and Why Should I Care?" (no author given, 2008) by stating, "The activities involved with gardening are so many and varied that some task is suitable for any gardener no matter how little they can do. At times just being in the garden is enough." And, "Everyone can use the therapy a garden provides."

Plant Therapy in Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Rehab Centers, and Prisons

Indoor plants purify the air by trapping pollutants. Live greenery most certainly adds to the décor of a room. Plants instill a sense of peace in an atrium, solarium, patio, or any other place where people gather. Hospitals and nursing homes use indoor trees and plants, not just to cut down on the noise or to beautify the surroundings, but to instill a sense of life and hope.

Rehabilitation centers have used horticulture therapy for decades as an active mode of patient treatment. Hands-on programs have been added to nursing homes, substance abuse programs, and prison rehab programs. How do prisoners benefit? Work programs such as roadway maintenance, planting and harvesting farm crops, and on-site prison culinary programs all instill positive values, socialization, and responsibility in inmates.

Working with plants in a garden setting or enjoying potted indoor plants throughout the house has a healthy impact on all members of a caregiver's home. Anyone can enjoy the benefits of plants. Take a drive through the countryside or a leisurely walk in the woods. Sit in the garden at home and enjoy the tranquility. Plants have a natural calming effect on people. Gardening therapy is low-cost and undeniably advantageous to home patients of all ages and caregiver families.

The copyright of the article Plants Improve Quality of Life in Caregiver Home in Caring for Family Members is owned by Mary King. Permission to republish Plants Improve Quality of Life in Caregiver Home in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.