Restoring Our Connection To Nature
For many years, gardening has been a significant way for the residents of Friends Home to connect with nature and the environment.
Many residents have backgrounds in farming or have been part of farming communities, fostering a special relationship with the land.
Friends Home is located in the heart of a rural and agriculturally active area, surrounded by many small farms and a long history of gardening.
Gardening for Wellness
Additionally, Friends Home has adopted the Montessori Lifestyle model, which emphasizes engaging in meaningful activities to slow the aging process.
Participating in meaningful activities enhances the quality of life by immersing residents in a visually and intellectually stimulating environment.
Gardening—being a truly meaningful activity—plays a vital role in the health and well-being of our residents.
The Temporary Loss of Our Gardening Space
Moreover, there is profound significance for our residents in planting, tending, and watching something grow.
It serves as a reminder that life continues.
Unfortunately, when we began construction on the new elevator tower, we had to demolish an area containing several raised beds where residents grew flowers and vegetables.
While we still have smaller raised beds located throughout the campus, this previous area was the main gardening space.
Consequently, for several years, while we worked on the elevator, residents had limited access to gardening opportunities, and we lost the positive effects that gardening had on their well-being.
We were eager to provide them with new opportunities to garden.
Ensuring Future Garden Accessibility
To address this, we identified another area that could be modified for gardening.
This new space, which surrounds a walkway between two of our independent living houses, accommodates four raised beds.
There is also ample space for necessary access paths.
Given the age of our residents, the raised beds include wheelchair access.
Proper access is crucial, so walkways and paths must accommodate mobility aids, whether wheeled or otherwise.
We found a contractor to complete the work on a tight schedule and at minimal cost.
Volunteers helped fill the new raised beds and arranged for seedlings to ensure we wouldn’t miss the growing season.
Connecting Through Harvesting
We anticipate that many items grown in the raised beds will be used in vases throughout the Friends Home campus, and hopefully, some vegetables will be served in the dining halls as well.
The gardens will be maintained by the community as a whole, providing an opportunity for participants to socialize and collaborate while caring for the garden.
This allows residents to enjoy the outdoors together, rediscover an old hobby, or even introduce a new one.
