May is right around the corner…and spring has sprung! With spring time here and summer not far behind, it’s time to dust off your pruning gloves and haul your pots outside; it’s time to garden! Gardening is a popular hobby with older adults, but it’s important to know what tips keep you safe while participating in this hobby!
A study was completed, where fourteen older adults were observed on two different occasions, performing seventeen different garden tasks, with six different body positions, to identify health benefits and risks. The study found that stooping, kneeling, and squatting are the most uncomfortable and dangerous positions for the body. (Park & Shoemaker, 2009)
The study also found that lower back pain was the most common complaint for pain. Making more trips with lighter loads, utilizing spongy rubber sleeves on gardening tools and utilizing two-handed loopers for tools, and stretching exercises are factors the study found that help to decrease inflammation and decrease pain with the studies participants. (Park & Shoemaker, 2009)
More tips to help maintain better safety with gardening are:
-Wear durable gloves to protect hands from thorns
-Utilize sunscreen
-Garden in the morning or evening when it is cooler outside, to decrease overheating
-Stay hydrated! Drink lot of water when gardening
-Take breaks during hard tasks; work at a hard task for about five minutes and either take a break for a few minutes or move to an easier task. Then return back to the harder task. Continue to repeat this cycle
-Increase ease of access for gardening tools and plants. Utilize a raised garden bed, place items at waist level to reduce bending/reaching above shoulder height with heavy items
(Garden Care Tips for Seniors, 2017)
Continuing to participate in hobbies that you enjoy doing is very important! Not only does it help keep you physically healthy, it keeps you mentally healthy too! That being said, you also want to continue to protect your body while performing activities you enjoy, so you can do them for many, many more years!
Home Therapy Solutions has a great team of occupational and physical therapists, that provide client centered in home therapy services, that will incorporate the activities you enjoy into your therapy session. Our therapists also help prepare you to participate in activities you enjoy as independently as possible! Reach out to us today to see how we can help you! 218-230-2171
Resources Utilized:
1. Park, S.-A., & Shoemaker, C. A. (2009). Observing body position of older adults while gardening for health benefits and risks. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 33(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/01924780902718582
2. Garden Care Tips for Seniors. Visiting Angels. (2017, September 2). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.visitingangels.com/knowledge-center/senior-health-and-well-being/growing-older-garden-care-tips-for-seniors/235
