Leverage the coincidence that the reawakening of your garden occurs during the month in which Earth Day falls. Typically when we make decisions regarding our therapeutic landscape gardens we weigh the impact on the people we serve; we also have the unique opportunity to positively impact the environment, in a way that involves our core mission of providing support and engagement to those we provide care for. As you plan your spring garden, implement these three changes: Create a bee-friendly garden. Doing so attracts bees, which are crucial pollinators of up to one-third of the food that people eat. Plant flowering fruits (strawberries), flowering vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini) and single-petal flowers (Black-Eyed Susans or Queen Ann’s Lace) that make it easier for bees to feed. Keep dishes of water filled for our fuzzy friends to rehydrate, and plant ground cover (coleus) in which they can rest in between feedings. Avoid pesticides which kill these tiny pollinators. Begin to compost. Minimize the amount of waste you send to landfills by setting aside and repurposing organic matter. This also reduces your contribution to global warming, as organic material placed in landfills is deprived of oxygen to break down, and instead creates methane gas. Making nutrient-rich soil conditioner from your kitchen and garden scraps will enhance your soil, strengthening your plants, and is simple to start. Place easily accessible compost bins in your kitchens and gardens, to encourage their everyday use. We have found that covered containers that are emptied regularly are the best way to nudge a shift in culture toward the adoption of the practice of composting. Reduce, refuse, reuse, recycle, remove plastic. The Earth Day Network’s focus for 2018 is to change people’s attitudes and behaviors regarding use of plastic. Analyze every choice to use plastic when planning or maintaining your garden and make a conscious decision to reduce and refuse plastic when you can. When using plastic, educate older adults on today’s recycling practices. Even many seasoned recyclers are not aware that plastic mulch bags and plastic containers that hold flats of flowers are recyclable. Beginning to implement these three changes this month will help the environment, and also strengthen your gardeners’ and visitors’ feeling of community and sense of purpose and place in this world.
by David Aquilina, Strategic Storyteller “Research confirms what we know from experience. Spending time outdoors, getting fresh air, and enjoying natural beauty improve health and enhance quality of life.” Roxann Bambach, Administrator McAuley Convent (Merion Station, Penn.) For the elderly with memory loss, important benefits include decreased agitation and anxiety, better quality of sleep, and opportunities for social interaction, exercise and experiences that engage the senses. This understanding inspired Bambach and her colleagues at the McAuley Convent to envision the transformation of an ordinary turfgrass landscape into the Tranquility Garden. It is a safe and beautiful landscape for Sisters of Mercy residing or recovering at this retirement community. Jack Carman, FASLA, RLA, Design for Generations, LLC (Medford, N.J.), a landscape architect who specializes in creating therapeutic outdoor environments that encourage people to experience nature, designed the garden. The Tranquility Garden includes a circular walkway and patio seating areas paved with a permeable paving material. The design features eight different varieties of ornamental trees and 16 different types of shrubs. The planting beds feature 28 perennials and three types of ornamental grasses. Carman was guided by a basic set of design principles for gardens intended for the elderly with dementia: Safety and Security – First and foremost, minimize potential hazards. Steps and changes in elevation are avoided because of the risk of trips and falls. Surfaces are non-slip and nonreflective. Enclosing the garden with a high fence ensures that no one can wander away from the safety of the garden. No sharp, thorny or poisonous plants are present. Design for Multiple Activities – “We designed for a variety of activities, including quiet contemplation and prayer, walking, gardening, outdoor classes, socializing, and dining,” said Carman. Outdoor furniture, with seating for individuals and groups, is sited in areas of sun and shade, and the tables feature umbrellas. The raised rolling planters enable the sisters to enjoy gardening while staying seated. Staff can easily roll the planters aside when space is needed for activities such as outdoor chair aerobics. Engaging Features – Gardens for people with memory loss have elements that draw attention and engage the senses. Carman included two fountains and wind chimes. Plant selection emphasizes color and strong scents (such as fragrant viburnum shrubs and perennials including fragrant angel cornflower and English lavender). Viewable from Indoors – There are times even on sunny, warm days when some may prefer to stay indoors. When they do not want go outside, the Sisters can still enjoy viewing the garden from the windows of their rooms as well as through the large glass doors that lead out to the garden from the activity room. Garden Walk – The circular walkway is easy to navigate. It is wide to accommodate wheelchairs, single walkers and those strolling side by side. The walkway and seating areas have a non-slip surface. For the Tranquility Garden, it also had to be permeable. Local government approval of the project required no impervious surfaces or increase in stormwater runoff. To include a walkway and patio seating areas, Carman had to use a permeable paving material. He selected Porous Pave XL from Porous Pave, Inc. (Grant, Mich.), a highly porous and durable pour-in-place paving material made from 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent kiln-dried aggregate mixed on site in a mortar mixer with a liquid binder. In contrast to permeable pavers, the entire surface of the installed product is permeable. With 27 percent void space, it infiltrates more stormwater than permeable pavers. The recycled rubber content makes it slip resistant, according to ASTM D-2047 standards, and in compliance with ADA requirements. “This fulfilled our requirements for slip-resistant, permeable pavement. In addition, it is poured-in-place as one continuous surface without expansion joints, which adds an extra measure of safety,” said Carman. “The texture of the material when cured, and the available color options, enabled us to complement the landscape.” Brian Geesey, Rock & Block Design (Reading, Penn.) poured two inches of the paving material on a base of compacted ¾-aggregate installed by Eric’s Nursery and Garden Center (Mt. Laurel, N.J.). The project was completed in July 2017. “We have worked with it on other projects,” said Bryan Geesey, owner, Rock & Block Designs. “It gives you a uniform, level and seamless surface across areas of new installation on an aggregate base.” How do the Sisters of Mercy assess the results? “When I see Sisters sitting in the garden and saying their prayers at 6 a.m. as the sun rises, when I see them gathered outside for exercise, when I see a staff member or visitor walking with a Sister along the circular path, I see the garden fulfilling our shared vision,” said Bambach. Project Team Owner: The Sisters of Mercy, Roxann Bambach, Administrator Landscape Architect: Design for Generations, LLC, Jack Carman, FASLA, RLA Landscape Contractor: Eric’s Nursery and Garden Center, Christopher Kendzierski, LLA, Landscaping Manager Pavement Installation Contractor: Rock & Block Design, Brian Geesey Permeable Pavement: Porous Pave, Inc. Permeable Pavement Representative: Splash Sales and Marketing, Inc., Jim Daulerio Republished from Landscape Architect and Specifier News, pp 14, 16, and 88
Early signs of spring abound. Robins are beginning to return; bulbs beginning to burst through the ground. But the nights and some days still hold onto the lingering chill of winter, keeping many people indoors. This March, bring the early signs of spring indoors to put smiles on people’s faces and a sense of renewal in their hearts. Three easy ways to bring your therapeutic garden indoors this month include: Force early spring shrubs to bloom early. Take clippings of a few plants, place in warm water near sunny windowsills and watch the warmth of indoors trigger the plants to bloom. The best plants for forcing include forsythia, flowering quince, cherry, plum, magnolia, pussy willow, crab apple, Cornelian-cherry dogwood, redbud, serviceberry and witch hazel. Appeal to people’s sense of smell. The fragrant whiff of spices, herbs and other plants remind people of the warmth and help to improve mental health by warding off depression. Consider starting an indoor herb garden, including beauties such as lemon balm, rosemary, marjoram, mint and oregano. (Basil is trickier to encourage to thrive indoors. If you do plant basil, remember that it prefers a constant temperature around 70 degrees – meaning don’t keep it on a windowsill that gets cold at night.) Other plants that aren’t herbs that you could consider growing indoors: spice viburnum and fragrant angel daffodil. Get social. Involve older adults in planning this year’s garden. Create an event where interested people can sit together, chatting and creating visuals of what they’re interested in gardening this year. Cut out pictures of plants from seed catalogs to tape to copies of maps of the layout of your garden. Discuss what the community hopes to gain from the garden and any inspirational directions in which they are hoping to head. Bringing early spring indoors primes older adults to be keen to the change of season, instilling a sense of rejuvenation and awakening that positively impacts people’s bodies, minds and spirits.
It behooves the older adults in your life for you to embrace a cheery, “Rise and shine!” approach to your therapeutic landscape garden this February. While frigid days don’t usually elicit such a response, the benefits of sunshine are especially keen during these mid-winter months. Exposure to sunshine spurs the body to produce both serotonin and vitamin D, which impact emotional and physical health. In North America, the optimal time for 15 minutes of winter sun exposure each day is between noon and 2 p.m. During this time the angle of the sun is such that it hits the retina in a way that triggers the release of serotonin. Direct sunlight on the arms, hands and face just a few times a week is enough to cue the body to produce vitamin D. Health benefits of sunshine include: lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, improved skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, strengthened immune system, and improved depression and lower frequencies of SAD (seasonal affective disorder, “the winter blues.”) However, facts alone won’t get people outside this month. Encourage older adults to venture outdoors by appealing to emotion. Launch a few initiatives that speak to different motivations. A painting class will motivate those interested in keeping New Year’s resolutions to try something new this year, while a walking contest will entice those with competitive streaks. For nurturers, remind them that Mother Nature’s creatures, such as birds, depend on them to keep bird feeders and bird baths full, especially this time of year. Leverage creativity this month to appeal to people on an emotional level, so that the sun may benefit them both body and soul.
Garden-themed presents help to give the gift of good health to older adults. Encouraging engagement with gardens nudges older adults to maintain social connections, while strengthening their physical and emotional health. Four practical, and thoughtful, gardening gift ideas to consider this holiday season: Replace older gardening tools with ergonomic tools. Seniors may feel reluctant to spend the money on something they don’t deem a necessity, but proper tools will allow seniors to reduce strain and injury while continuing their beloved hobby. Then, have the still-perfectly-good previous tools donated to a nonprofit in your community. Raised garden planters. These wooden raised planters, which you can buy in retail stores or online, may be considered by some older adults to be too pricy of a splurge to buy for oneself. They make a great gift, allowing older adults to continue gardening without needing to hunch over or bend knees. Wind chimes. Those with limited access to the outdoors can still enjoy the calming movement of the breeze when you give the gift of wind chimes. Consider gifting bamboo wind chimes to men and metal ones to women. The lower octaves of bamboo are more easily heard by men, while the higher octaves of metal are more easily heard by women. Gardening gift certificate. Purchase a Burpee seed gift certificate and request a free Burpee seed catalog (available in late December through April, or until supplies last.) Those living on a fixed income still enjoy dabbling with new plants, but may not feel comfortable committing their budget to plants that are not tried-and-true. Gardening keeps both the body and the mind active, and is the #1 hobby for senior citizens. Choosing useful gifts that promote physical and emotional health will benefit the older adults in your life well after this holiday season is a wrap.
After Thanksgiving, both bellies and hearts are filled with gratitude. Leverage that sense of community spirit and goodwill to spark engagement with your therapeutic garden this fall. All of your publics – from seniors who live within your community, their families and visitors, your staff and volunteers, and the community at large – can benefit from your garden. In today’s world, families expect communities to provide opportunities for renewed, or newly discovered, purpose and passion. Look around and think beyond flowers. What do you have access to, in terms of natural resources, interest and talent? Director of Dining at Foulkeways (Pennsylvania) John Kennedy shares that they have “always had a spirit of community.” Their property also happens to boast more than 20 fruit trees. Foulkeways capitalized on this natural opportunity for engagement, involving residents in caring and harvesting the orchard. Staff and residents alike then host what is collectively known as the “Sharing Table” where anyone with a generous spirit can contribute or receive fruits, vegetables and herbs grown by others. What is your differentiator? A few other interesting ideas we have come across that engage older adults, while contributing to a sense of gratitude, include: Partnering with a local food pantry to collect and host a food drive for fresh vegetables and fruit Teaching older adults how to manage honeybee hives, and then giving honey away as gifts Creating essential oils from herbs grown on site, such as peppermint or lavender, and incorporating those essential oils into wellness activities for residents
The link between happiness and health in older adults is a strong one. Research shows that people who stay socially connected and engaged live longer, says Jack Carman, president of Design for Generations. Seniors who report lower instances of loneliness are more likely to have healthier hearts, stronger memories and less depression. Your therapeutic garden is an essential tool in helping the older adults in your care to build a sense of community. With that comes social connection and a sense of purpose, two driving forces behind cultivating happiness that leads to stronger health outcomes, both mentally and physically. Think beyond flowers. Carman has worked with communities who leverage their gardens to engage seniors’ brains in entirely new ways. Yes, 75-year-old city dwellers can learn the basics of beekeeping. Our seniors with a strong sense of pride can maintain dignity and autonomy by maintaining a vegetable garden to give produce to staff to take home. With assistance, older adults can help to manage an apple orchard, where in a way they really are living “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Carman finds joy in helping individual communities to brainstorm and plan unique gardens that connect with older adults and their families. Email him at jack@designforgenerations.com to begin planning how your therapeutic garden can resonate more strongly with older adults in your care, as well as with prospective families considering your community.
Happy New Year! A byproduct of the “back to school” season that represents a fresh start for our society’s children and their parents, many Americans consider September to be a second “new year” of sorts. Extend this sentiment to your approach to your therapeutic garden. September is the perfect time to reboot by planting fall crops to extend the life of your garden. Doing so will make you feel as if you are reaping the benefits of a second summer. In many climates across the United States, September is prime time to plant lettuce, arugula, spinach, swiss chard and kale. Fall greens also taste sweeter than their summer cousins. Mother Nature spurs plants to produce sugars when the temperature begins to drop, to protect itself against freezing. (Sugar water freezes at a lower temperature than plain water.) [justified_image_grid ids=1986,1985 row_height=350px] Some of these fall plants, particularly spinach and lettuce, will even continue to mature through the winter, leading to an early spring crop to harvest, as well. President of Design for Generations Jack Carman offers this common sense, insider tip when planning fall gardens, “Although so many vegetables and other plants thrive throughout the fall season, it can be hard to find seeds in stores this time of year. Next year, stock up on seed packets in the spring and hold onto them until September.” Ripping out faded summer plants and reinvigorating your garden in September will provide an updated, fresh space for older adults, their families, and your employees to enjoy. Gardens, fresh air and sunshine are for more than just the spring and summer months.
This month, shift your focus to air movement within your therapeutic garden. Perception is reality; with air movement create the perception of a cooler, outdoor oasis – despite these hot, muggy August days.
Evoke a sense of nostalgia and spur older adults to feel happiness and joy with the addition of one simple plant to your therapeutic garden this July. Researchers in the Netherlands recently found that older adults respond positively and strongly to smelling and tasting mint.
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Contact Information
Design For Generations, LLC
Jack Carman F.A.S.L.A.
92 Tallowood Drive
Medford NJ 08055
Voice – 609-953-5881
Fax – 609-953-1625
jack@designforgenerations.com
www.designforgenerations.com
