Using plants as a therapeutic tool in places such as nursing homes may sound a little off the wall but it works. Think about it. One pretty popular pastime in the U.S. is gardening. Planting and taking care of plants not only encourages exercise but it can improve your self-esteem and make you feel accomplished and perhaps, appreciated. A garden is a great place to relax and enjoy nature. Whether you're at home or a public building, inside plants provide an attractive setting. Even just one vase of flowers can brighten any setting. This type of therapy is also known as horticultural therapy.
Plants as a Tool
Surprisingly, plants provide emotional, mental, and physical healing by lowering your blood pressure, relieving symptoms of depression, reducing your stress level, and they even stimulate your mind.
Whether you are working out in the garden or tending to a blooming inside plant, plants spoil your five senses, even if you do it as little as a few times each week. There are many types of groups that benefit from this kind of therapy and these are a few of those:
- Elderly people
- People with a mental illness
- People with a disability
- Children with developmental deferments
Taking care of plants is something that anyone can do, despite your abilities. It can inspire motivation and independence in people.
Benefit From Gardens and Indoor Plants
Gardens and indoor plants benefits both caregivers and patients. It is a great activity when feeling bored or isolated. Taking care of plants can make the elderly gain physical and mental stimulation. The caregiver's job is easier when the patients feel useful and happy. If you are unable to tend to an outside garden than this is where indoor plants come in handy. It can be just as fun to care for indoor plants as it is for an outdoor plant.
Kids enjoy planting seeds, whether flowers or vegetables, and watering them. Kids also seem to enjoy the different smells and colors of plants. One thing that tends to excite kids is digging in the dirt so it's usually pretty easy to get them excited about gardening.
One cool thing about plants is that they purify the air. They trap contaminants thus purifying it. Live plants definitely add to any type of style. Even fake plants and trees can liven any room for a more peaceful feeling. Adding plants and trees in places such as hospitals and nursing homes creates a feeling of life.
Rehabilitative facilities use plants as a therapy for patient treatments. These types of therapy have also been used in substance abuse programs, nursing homes, and rehab programs in prisons. Prisoners learn positive values, responsibility, and socialization by planting or harvesting crops for farms, working on road maintenance, and through prison cooking programs.
Everyone can benefit from working out in a garden or caring for indoor plants. If you are unable to do things like go on a drive through the mountains to enjoy the beautiful trees and plants, sitting in your garden or having plants throughout your home, or care center, can help. Plants are calming and a low cost therapy tool.
Citations:
- Image by snehroy on Flickr.com
- Image by Moyan_Brenn on Flickr.com
- Image by Moyan_Brenn on Flickr.com
Alyx Braze is a guest author who specializes in nursing homes and has a passion for helping the elderly.
