Herb Planting Boosts Sheffield Care Home Residents’ Wellbeing

PLANTING herbs has helped Sheffield care home residents get outside and rekindle their passion for gardening.

Horticultural therapy sessions have been taking place at The Laurels and The Limes Care Home, on Manchester Road, for several weeks.

The latest session with expert Caroline Cook included planting herbs in accessible raised beds.

The activities have proven benefits for all elderly residents, particularly those with dementia, helping to reduce agitation, anxiety and improve wellbeing.

Caroline works with care homes and day centres with elderly residents throughout South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

She said: “Let’s get people with dementia outside. They can get the sun on their face, they can touch and smell and the flowers, and get a fantastic sense of wellbeing.

“People are never too old. I have a lady of 107 who comes to gardening group every week. I have a lady who’s 95, is visually impaired and can’t see anything, and she said it’s the best day of her life when she’s gardening.”

Louise Spooner, home manager at The Laurels Care Home, said: “The horticultural therapy sessions with Caroline have been excellent.

“We’ve found when talking to residents about what they’d like to do and their past experiences of things they’ve enjoyed doing, gardening featured very strongly.

“We always aim to run activities that our residents have said they’re interested and take pleasure in. Getting outside in the sunshine in our lovely garden is one of those.

“Having the expertise of a horticultural therapist has helped elevate those activities and we now also have some lovely planters with a great range of flowers and herbs for everyone to enjoy.”