Resident Care Blooms with Gardens
Happy Earth Day! Here is an article written about the garden at The Cedars from this past summer featured in PrimeTime magazine.
Written by Kerry Park
“Just living is not enough .. one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” So said the writer Hans Christian Anderson over 150 years ago and it still holds true today. For many, gardening is one of the great pleasures of summer. According to guidelines of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), it’s also the right of every person living in a long term care setting. For more than ten years now, nursing homes have been adapting practices toward culture change, the common name given to the transformation of older adult services toward person-centered care practices. For those providing 24-hour skilled nursing care, an important function of culture change and person-centered care is to provide patients with experiences of things they have previously enjoyed and to help them explore new interests that give them pleasure. Gardening is one those pleasures.
At Cedar Crest Nursing & Rehabilitation Centre in Cranston, spring signals the beginning of a season of garden-centered activities. A few years ago, The Healing Garden at Cedar Crest was created to invite visitors to experience a place of peace while connecting to nature. According to Gail Dombeck, RN, Director of Nursing for Cedar Crest, “Our garden was created as an environment that promotes healing in both a physical and spiritual sense. We find that it greatly compliments Cedar Crest’s patient/ resident-centered approach to care and is equally enjoyed by patients and their families, as well as employees.”
Situated on an unused grassy area behind the building and surrounded by woods that are part of the 125-acre Champlin nature preserve, The Healing Garden is the perfect place for a serene retreat. Plantings varying in form, texture and color were selected for both seasonal interest and sensory stimulation. Design was kept simple to foster stress reduction and emotional healing. Focal points such as a koi fish pond with fountain and resident-made bird houses evoke positive feelings and hold the attention of visitors. The layout accommodates different activities and levels of privacy. A latticed, pergola-covered patio is used for group functions. Benches placed in a variety of sunny and shady areas provide spots for solitary contemplation or private visits. An important feature of the garden are several raised garden beds for growing assorted vegetables and herbs. Planting and maintaining the vegetables gardens provides both a therapeutic activity for patients and yields fresh produce used by culinary staff in “farm to table” recipes. The Healing Garden was also certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and is home to birds, chipmunks, deer and other creatures that are easily viewed from the windows of patients overlooking the garden.
Cedar Crest is not alone in incorporating gardening into the long term setting. Most skilled nursing centers throughout Rhode Island now provide some type of garden environment for residents to enjoy, tend to, and find a sense of purpose. In the skilled nursing center, patients are usually on the receiving side of care. Gardening provides an outlet for them to care for something else and contribute to their “community”. Even those with dementia who can be restricted from hobbies that were once part of their life can enjoy the benefits of gardening, according to Shannon Izzi, Activities Director at Golden Crest Nursing Home in North Providence. “Many residents here were avid gardeners and are familiar with the many different types of flowers. They really enjoy getting in touch with “nature” again. We take them outdoors to get them active in planting flowers, those that can of course, while others will water. We have two courtyards with raised planter beds to make it easier for them. The courtyards can be seen from the main floor windows, where every day the residents like to look out the windows to see the flowers. They can be proud of what they planted and enjoy the beauty. Even those who couldn’t participate in the planting love to look out the window to see the gorgeous colors and variety. Young or old – gardening is great therapy for everyone!”