9 Fantastic Benefits of Gardening for Seniors

An elderly green thumb is a gateway to the numerous health benefits of gardening for seniors. And, why not? Gardening is a popular hobby, one that many people love once they get going.  

With gardening, our seniors can enjoy creating beauty that they’ll see growing right before them. The experience also benefits them mentally, emotionally, and physically. 

The many benefits of gardening show us why, as caregivers, we should help our seniors get involved in various little activities that can improve their health and their life overall. For that matter, gardening has advantages for caregivers too.

And gardening is a simple enough activity to start. Even seniors without much outdoors space can enjoy some gardening, whether they do so through indoor plants or through a community garden. 

9 Major Benefits of Gardening for Seniors 

Gardening can promote positive aging for older adults. This was the highlight of a January 2020 study that focused on the connection between home and community garden, and the wellbeing of older adults.  

The research concluded that yes, there are many benefits of gardening for the elderly. These benefits include enhanced self-esteem, increased productive endeavors, and better social engagement and exercise.

Social Benefits of Gardening for Seniors

1. Gardening Can be a Shared Experience  

For seniors who live in retirement communities, independent living facilities, or care homes, gardening can be a powerful way to socialize. It’s a great way to meet and engage with fellow residents. This is especially important because, as we know, social isolation is a significant health risk for older adults. 

Plus, gardening allows you to keep your distance. And all persons don’t have to be involved at the same time. So, connections can be made and friendships nurtured while practicing safe physical distancing requirements to prevent the spread of viruses. 

A community vegetable garden, perhaps with a few ornamental plants, is a great way to start gardening for elders and allow for social interaction. If you’re not sure about starting your own adaptive senior program, there are services that assist with this kind of gardening set up.

2. Gardening Can Be an Intergenerational Activity

For seniors who live at home with their caregivers, gardening is a great way for all generations to get involved.

It gives older adults and perhaps their grandkids a way to bond and learn from each other and limit the feelings of social isolation, even in the home.

The same is true when seniors live apart from their family members. Perhaps the grandkids can help in the garden when they are able to visit. Or, the senior and grandchild might each be able to have their own garden, then share experiences and photographs when they talk.

Physical Advantages

3. Gardening Provides Exercise

Gardening might seem low key, but it is still a form of physical exercise – and a surprisingly good one.

Spending an hour outside pulling weeds, for example, can burn anywhere from 200 to 400 calories. Even moderate gardening can count as the recommended 30-minutes a day exercise for seniors to be more physically active.

Prolonged sitting, which a lot of our older adults tend to do, will reduce their metabolic rate to the bare minimum. Standing up, walking around – any physical activity really – helps to boost the metabolism.

Gardening happens to be a low impact, less stressful exercise activity. Gardening requires bending, stretching, pulling. This engages muscles throughout your body and improves dexterity.

Gardening, therefore, allows seniors – and us as caregivers who need something relaxing and active as well – to get our bodies moving. 

Now, if the senior in your care cannot manage bending and squatting, you can build a raised bed to make it easier for them to get into gardening. There are also products that make gardening easier, like raised seats and garden tools with large handles.

Don’t worry if some tasks seem like too much. You can always look for help with anything that is too difficult.

4. Gardening Can Reduce the Risk of Stroke

Few activities can help to reduce your risk of a stroke. Gardening is one of them. It could potentially help those most at risk, like our older adults.

A study of almost 4,000 persons revealed that regular gardening can prolong life by as much as 30% in older adults aged 60 and above. The results showed that seniors who were active gardeners reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 27%. They also reduced their overall risk of death from all causes by 30%. These benefits were regardless of whether they actually did other types of formal exercise.

Plus, being outside in the sun will increase vitamin D levels. The sunshine vitamin is responsible for calcium and phosphorus absorption, which is necessary for your immune system and bone and teeth development. Vitamin D is also useful in preventing or managing bone conditions that affect older adults like osteoporosis.

And if the person does suffer a stroke, the physical requirements of gardening can help to increase strength and mobility. 

5. Gardening Improves the Immune System

This one of those times when they say a little dirt won’t harm you … because you could encounter some good bacteria while gardening. 

There is a good species of bacteria found in the earth called Mycobacterium vaccae. It was accidentally found to increase the mood of patients injected with a serum from this bacterium. Subsequent studies indicated that Mycobacterium vaccae could help with depression, stress, and ease symptoms associated with asthma and allergies. 

So, get your seniors out and gardening, and they just might start reaping the benefits from this friendly bacterium.

Seniors Enjoy Psychological Advantages 

Our mental health is just as important as our physical well-being. Being outdoors and involved in gardening leads to benefits for our minds and emotions.

6. Gardening Lowers Stress

Studies of the health benefits of gardening have consistently concluded that gardening is great for stress relief. The act of gardening lowers cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, and may even lower blood pressure for those who suffer with hypertension. 

For example, in a study on the effects of gardening, the researchers asked participants to perform a stressful task. Afterward, they were placed in two groups – one set to read, and the other to do outdoor gardening activities. 

The results? Both activities did result in a reduction of cortisol (the stress hormone). But, the highest reductions were seen and felt in the gardening group. 

7. Improves Mood and Can Help Fight Depression

The same study on gardening and affective restoration from stress also showed that the study participants who gardened after the stressful exercise experienced the restoration of their positive mood. Those who read had a further decline in their mood. 

This could be attributed to the fact that gardening increases serotonin, a chemical in the brain that affects whether you feel calm or at peace. As such, gardening can act as a therapeutic activity for seniors. So, you’ll also notice that horticulture therapy is increasing as a treatment for persons with depression. 

The idea is talked about in the book Lost Connections too, along with other ways to lower depression.

The Cognitive Benefits of Gardening 

There are also cognitive benefits from gardening.

8. Gardening Helps Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Certain lifestyle choices and activities can have a significant impact on what happens to us later in our years. For seniors, gardening is one such lifestyle choice that can yield positive results. 

Gardening by seniors has been shown to reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s. The associated tasks of gardening, like problem-solving, sensory awareness, and endurance, can reduce the risks of dementia by up to 36%.

One thing, however, that you should note when setting up gardening for seniors with Alzheimer’s is the need for the space to be secure and safe. So, make sure it’s fenced properly and any potential hazards removed from the area. An enclosed, safe space can prevent your older adult from wandering off. 

9. It Improves Well-Being

Gardening gives our seniors a sense of control over their environment. This is good for their health and living a higher quality of life. Plus, being outdoors makes anyone happy. 

But what happens when it’s cold out?

Then it’s the best time to look at indoor gardening activities for seniors. There are quite a few ways to bring gardening indoors for those winter months. You could look at pots and container gardening and even indoor greenhouses.

Keeping Our Seniors Safe Outdoors

So, while the benefits of gardening for seniors are many, we still need to take certain precautions for their health. 

Check the Tools

Make sure the tools suit the senior. If they have dexterity issues, the tools can be modified for them. Lightweight gardening tools are often best for our older adults. 

Reduce Sun Exposure

Ensure they have the equipment to protect themselves, such as wide-brim garden hats and sunscreen to prevent burning. Even if the sun doesn’t feel particularly hot on a day, those damaging ultraviolet rays are still at work. If the weather is a bit warm, ensure they do not stay outside for too long and that they take breaks as needed.

Have a First Aid Kit on Standby

Make sure you have a first-aid kit handy. Insect bites, bruises, and cuts should be cleaned and tended to as soon as possible. 

Let’s Help Our Seniors Thrive Through Gardening

We’ve looked at the main ways that gardening benefits seniors and how you can help them get into gardening today.

Depending on the condition or physical disabilities of the persons in your care, getting them to take up gardening may require a little bit of innovation on your part. But, with proper planning, you can create a safe and accessible gardening space so they can reap the many benefits of gardening. 

So, it doesn’t matter if you start out with a small pot, a patio planter, a backyard vegetable garden, or join a community garden.

Start slow, grow plants and vegetables they’ll like, and focus on using healthy soil. Then, the seniors in your care will soon start enjoying the many less visible but just as important health benefits of gardening.

Be sure to research too. You might be surprised at the tips and tricks you can pick up along the way, like checking out The Local Tree Expert for information about hiring people to trim your trees.

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