Barbara Friesner, who writes the wonderful AgeWiseLiving newsletter and created The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System, just sent around some tips she compiled for elder-friendly gardening.  I have reprinted it below for those who love to muck around and those who just want to help the seniors in their lives continue a hobby they love, safely.

 
Article:  Making the Garden Elder Friendly

It’s only
the beginning of June but with this year’s weather, we are well into gardening
season. For so many Seniors, having their garden is a very big reason they want
to stay in their home.  Not only does a garden look pretty and give an enormous sense of
satisfaction, (and attract birds and butterflies) but it’s also a great
exercise and promotes flexibility and strength which also helps prevent
osteoporosis and reduce stress.

Clearly
there are lots of really good reasons to have a garden.  However, some
people can have too much garden, and for them, the garden can be
overwhelming.  They can easily get it under control by reducing the size
of the garden to what they can easily manage and then hiring a gardener or a
neighbor kid to take care of the rest.

Conversely,
some people want a garden but have only a little bit of space – or none at
all.  For  those with no space at all, container gardens are a great
solution. (So you can have a garden in an apartment, too.)  They can be
inside or out and you can plant anything in them (fruits, vegetables, flowers,
shrubs, trees).  Plus they can be any size, shape or height you want.
Check out ContainerGardening
for more pictures of container gardens.

If you have any
outdoor space at all, I am a huge proponent of raised garden beds.  They
are great for seniors and anyone who can’t, or doesn’t want, to spend hours on
their knees, killing their back!   According to raised-garden-beds.com,
there are other great reasons for raised bed gardening, too.

1. Plant
   roots need air.  In an ordinary garden, you can’t avoid stepping in
   the garden bed occasionally when doing your everyday gardening.  With
   the raised garden, you garden from the path and not pack down the soil.
2. Raised
   beds tend to drain away excess moisture better than ordinary garden
   beds.  This is another advantage that helps the plant roots to
   breath.  In areas that have saturated soil like Florida and many
   areas of the South, raised beds may be the only way you can grow many
   types of plants.
3. Soil
   conditions and types can be controlled more efficiently in a raised bed
   and they can be varied easily from bed to bed.  Raised beds are the
   answer when topsoil is thin.
4. Water,
   fertilizer, compost, mulch, etc. can be applied more carefully because
   they only need to be applied to the garden beds.
5. Various
   studies have shown that raised garden beds produce 1.4 to 2 times as much
   vegetables and flowers per square foot as ordinary beds, due mainly to the
   above advantages so you can have a smaller and more manageable garden and
   still produce more.

But as the
years go by, even container and/or raised gardens can be tough on the
body.  So here is some advice from gardening expert, Rebecca
Kolls,  on how to keep the strain to the body to a minimum.

• Warm
  up by doing a few stretches before starting any gardening activities and
  working with your garden tools. Doing this will help reduce any muscle soreness
  you may experience later on.
• Drink
  plenty of liquids (avoiding alcohol), to keep your body well hydrated.
• Be
  sure to take care of cuts, bruises scrapes and insect bites right away to
  help avoid infection.
• Work
  in the garden early in the morning or late in the day to avoid blazing
  midday sun and heat which can make even the healthiest senior ill or
  weary.
• Wear
  comfortable clothes and shoes
• Wear
  a hat and gloves to cover exposed skin and use sunscreen to protect
  against sunburn and sun damage.
• When
  you start to feel fatigued, take a break for a few moments.
• Rotate
  your gardening tasks every half hour or so.
• Avoid
  using tools that will put you in awkward body positions. If possible, take
  advantage of the new breed of ergonomic garden tools which are designed to
  reduce strain and injury because they work in conjunction with your body
  movements.  Check out the Today Show’s Home &
  Garden segment about gadgets that will help keep seniors in the
  garden.  (There are so many great new gardening tools out there, it
  almost makes me wish I were a gardener!)
• Keep
  your tools sharp, well oiled and in good working condition. This will help
  avoid resistance when using them and cut down on the manpower needed to
  execute certain tasks. Remember that proper body positioning will minimize
  muscle soreness and fatigue.

Now
that you have all this great information . . . go play in the dirt!

© Copyright 
AgeWiseLiving™  2010   Barbara E. Friesner, Generational Coach
and adjunct professor at Cornell University, is creator of  “The
Ultimate Caregiver’s Success System"™, the ultimate eldercare
instruction manual that shows you exactly how to resolve your eldercare issues
by choice, not crisis.  To get your F.R.E.E. downloadable MP3 and receive
Barbara’s weekly eldercare success articles, visit www.AgeWiseLiving.com.