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Community Gardens Add Life to Assisted Living Facilities

by

Melissa Peterman

Community gardens are often found in city neighborhoods, churches and several schools. City dwellers who would like to garden, but dont have a space look to community gardens or pea patches located in the city such as parks, churches or other designated areas to grow fresh fruits and veggies. Assisted living facilities and schools have gone one step further and used the community gardens as a means of education as well as food for the facilities.

Growing Fruits and Vegetables In An Assisted Living Facility Provides More Than Food and A Community Activity

They say that when astronauts grow plants in space, their blood pressure is greatly reduced. Something happens inside the brain that is calming when astronauts care for living things in space as well as offer some much needed greenery. The same holds true for nursing homes and other assisted living facilities. Large living facilities and schools desperately need fresh fruits and veggies. Often fruits and vegetables that are available to schools and assisted living facilities have been trucked in from all over the country after they are picked green and ripened in a box, not on a vine. Among the other activities offered by assisted living facilities, not many offer as many benefits as an on-site community garden.

Other Benefits of Community Gardens at Assisted Living Facilities

Exercise- weeding, raking, planting and harvesting are all excellent sources of exercise.

Nutrition- fresh fruits and vegetables grown on-site offer much more vitamins then those picked early and forced to ripen artificially. Plus, residents and caretakers have control over any pesticides used on the produce.

Education- Growing a garden is highly educational. Learning about different varieties of plant species, the best way to grow them and when to harvest is an enjoyable experience.

Social community activity- gardening can be a great social activity that is year-round and indoors as well as outdoors. Residents can talk about seeds to buy, get the soil ready to plant and harvest and then use those fruits and vegetables in the kitchen.

For residents that are unable to physically participate can enjoy the garden from the comfort of their rooms by gazing outside their windows.

Whether using the community garden at assisted living facilities for exercise, a social activity or for fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, there is a little something for everyone.

About the author: Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity For more information regarding

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Community Gardens Add Life to Assisted Living Facilities}