Gardening: Good for body and soul

According to the Safe Gardening UK web site, gardening is a major way for the elderly to keep fit and healthy on more than just one level.

In the most obvious sense, gardening provides a low-impact fitness programme that involves walking, stretching and deep breathing. In addition, it provides the opportunity to get into the healthy open air and enjoy nature.

This is also what makes it good for your mental health, according to a recent Times Online article. Thrive, a charity that offers gardening as therapy in the UK, has found that the benefits of gardening are much greater than even they had anticipated.

Hundreds of both elderly and younger persons suffering from mental problems such as severe depression and Alzheimer’s Disease have benefited from the Thrive gardening programme. The charity will be displaying its first garden at the May Chelsea Flower Show.

Many of those involved in growing the show plants are suffering from severe mental problems, all of whom have gained exciting benefits.

Nicola Carruthers, the chief executive of Thrive, said: “We’ve seen people with depression who can’t speak when they come to us, but who have ended up reducing their medication after working in our garden.”

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