What can I do to make gardening outdoors safe for my senior parents?
Answers
My grandmother loved gardening. These are what I’ve learned through my own experience, helping her:
• Have raised beds built for them and provide a reasonable amount of plants and handy equipment.
• Make sure they have their cell phones when out working in the yard.
• Consider smooth level paths that will not impede the use of a rolling scooter, a walker, wheelchair, or electric scooter.
• Seniors dehydrate quickly and are subject to heatstroke; big-brimmed hats or a wet scarf around the neck is a good idea too.
• Have a care alert system in place if they fall so that their next-of-kin or a medical emergency team can assist them if their situation becomes desperate.
• A pendant or wrist band, especially with a “declination,” is easier to operate even if stunned by the fall.
• Introduce flower pot gardening, container gardening, or wall gardening to them.
• Buy sunscreen, breathable long-sleeve shirts, gloves, insect repellants, and water bottles.
• Install handrails from their back or/and front door.
1. Build your garden with level paths so they can walk around easily, even with a wheelchair or a walker.
2. Have raised bed gardens with wide rims so they can sit on them. This will make them more comfortable because they can rest on the edges whenever they get tired.
3. Buy hats, sunscreen, and insect repellents for them, and make sure they wear comfortable gardening clothes and gloves.
4. Keep them hydrated by providing enough water.
My father loves gardening, and it’s undoubtedly his main hobby throughout the day. So, if gardening and being outside are crucial to their life quality, and they love it, you can try what I did. Here are a few preventative measures you can take for their safety and your peace of mind — although not 100% safe, but still better than nothing: Install railings from their back or front entrance, preferably along ground-level stairs or grades. It would be best to encourage them to have their Walker (a four-wheeled mobility device with an integrated basket for carrying items) with them at any time. They’ll have something to hang on to if they lose their balance, and it’ll also help them push themselves up if they need to. Another suggestion is to buy them new gardening tools made of softer, lighter materials, especially where they may handle them. Look it up on the net!
The elderly must be provided with a safe environment when gardening. Here’s a checklist for creating a safe gardening space for your loved ones:
Provide Them with Big Pots
Using tall and large vases is required for seniors who tend to do gardening at home. These pots can assist them in not bending over and prevent the resulting dizziness and back pain.
Make Sure the Gardening Tools Aren’t Too Heavy
People over 65 are usually not planning to become professional gardeners, so buying large and heavy gardening accessories will only result in a tiresome and bad experience. They might need various different tools, so it’s better to find lighter and easier-to-use accessories. Using more lightweight equipment will result in a more enjoyable gardening experience. Wearing proper gloves is also necessary, mainly because the manure and chemicals in the dirt might have skin-damaging effects. The surface of the garden can be rough and uneven, which might hurt the feet, so it’s a good idea to provide the elderly with comfy footwear.
Use Sunlight Protection
Older adults should not stay outside and work too much on hot sunshiny days. The reason is that while sunlight helps our bodies absorb vitamin D, unnecessary exposure to the sun can be harmful. To keep our elderly parents protected from the adverse effects of the sun, we need to provide them with hats, sunscreen, and umbrellas made to shield them from the sunlight. The danger of dehydration for seniors makes it so that they need to have a water bottle beside them while working in the garden at all times.
Have an Appropriate Gardening Chair
Gardening for the elderly is a fun activity that doesn’t bother them or make them too tired. So you make sure your elderly parents have a chair to sit on when they need to catch a breath. Sitting in the shade and enjoying watching what they’ve achieved would help them like and appreciate what they’re doing even more, so it’s a good idea to place some seats around the garden to help them unwind watching the scenery.
