If you are caring for a senior, whether as the child of an aging parent or as the caregiver of a client or nursing home resident, you know the importance of having a variety of senior citizen activities to share over the course of a day. Seniors, like everyone else, can suffer from boredom, and those who are not mobile, who have health problems, or are residents of a nursing home or assisted living facility are no different. In fact, it is these seniors, who can’t do as much for themselves, who often suffer from boredom the most. Simple indoor gardening is a fun and beneficial activity for your senior that is easy and inexpensive to do, and will provide hours of enjoyment long after the seeds are planted.
Plan the Indoor Garden to be an Enjoyable Activity for the Senior
When planning gardening activities for seniors, it is important to think about the physical ability of the elderly person. Whether he/she is wheelchair bound, or not especially mobile, has arthritis, visual problems, or even some dementia, this is still a great activity. Consider what the person is able to do, and then choose gardening projects that would be easy for them to participate in, and provide the assistance that they will need along the way.
You may also want to consider if the senior has been a gardener, and their interest and enjoyment in gardening. For an elderly person who has experience in planting, you can help them plan a more complicated indoor garden.
Simple Gardening Activities for Senior Citizens
For an elderly person that needs simple projects, don’t get overwhelmed with elaborate plantings. Choose small gardening projects that will be easy to plant and care for, and that won’t require complicated instructions.
The goal here is to make it an enjoyable activity for the senior to participate in. Think small pots with a tomato plant, or some colorful flowers.
A simple clay pot is a great way to start this activity: work with the elderly person to decorate it with paints, markers, or simple craft supplies. Or you can experiment with other types of containers.
Once the pots are ready, help the senior to fill the pots with soil and then plant their seeds. Be sure to provide water for them as well. Once the seeds are planted then place them in a place where the seeds will easily sprout. And be sure to encourage the senior to keep an eye on the plant as it grows, and help them to care for it.
This idea for a simple herb garden from kaboose.com would be a fun senior citizen activity.
Container Garden Activities for Your Plant-Loving Senior
For an elderly person who can participate in a more complex project, container gardening can be very enjoyable. The senior will appreciate having the chance to help plan a windowbox or other container that will provide blooms….or even vegetables…for weeks of enjoyment.
You can choose plants from online catalogs, or plan a special outing to a local nursery, where the senior citizen can pick out the plants that he/she would like to have in the container garden. Be sure that you have instructions for what each plant will need to grow properly. And make sure that the senior has gardening tools that he/she can easily use.
Container gardening is a great senior citizen activity that is limited only by one’s imagination. For lots of great container gardening ideas, visit Better Homes and Gardens Website (bhg.com).
