Active Gardening for Active Retirement

7/30/2019 Active Gardening for Active Retirement

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A c t i v e

G A r d e n i n GRight for your employees. Right for you.

G ardeninG empowers us to

be more active, connected,

and enGaGed in life - key

inGredients for livinG

healthier, more fulfillinG

and lonGer lives!

Staying active — walking, watering,

pruning, cleaning tools and getting

moderate regular exercise — helps

with both our physical and mental well-

being. Gardening is an excellent way for

aging bodies to get a moderate-intensity

aerobic workout, shed calories, lower

blood pressure and cholesterol, and stay

flexible.

Staying connected with friends, family,

and community is critical to remaining

healthy, vital, and active. There is

no better activity to support these

interactions than gardening. Connectingwith friends and family and sharing our

time, wisdom, and experience helps us

maintain a sense of purpose, gets us out

of the house, and keeps us engaged,

focused, and learning.

Staying engaged benefits you and

the community at large. Gardening

programmes often involve contributing

to the local community and manynonprofits, boards, groups and places

of worship would be unable to function

without the time and dedication of older

volunteers.

The GardenWell social, recreational and

therapeutic gardening programme offers

you the opportunity to participate in four-

season garden clubs. These groups

involve participants in a wide array of activities related to plants, gardening,

nature and the outdoor environment.

Club members meet weekly or twice a

month. There is also a monthly garden or

nature-related outing. Read on to find out

more about active gardening and what

GardenWell can offer you.

contents:pAGe one: Staying Active, Connected, and Engaged with Gardening

pAGe two: The GardenWell Programme for Active Retired

pAGe three: About Sinead Drew and GardenWell - Brief bio and mission.

pAGe four: How GardenWell can help - Gardening and horticulture activities and programmes.

stAyinG Active, connected, And enGAGed

sineAd drew (01) 487 5660 [email protected] www .GArdenwell.orG



Gardening is a wonderfully flexible

medium that can transform lives,

regardless of age or ability.

The benefits of a sustained and active

interest in gardening include:

• Better physical health through

exercise and learning how to use

or strengthen muscles to improve

mobility

• Improved mental health through a

sense of purpose and achievement

• The opportunity to connect with

others – reducing feelings of

isolation or exclusion

• Just feeling better for being in

touch with nature

GardenWell uses the principles of

Active Ageing (activities that increase

endurance, strength, flexibility,

balance, and the principles of injury

prevention) to realize everyone’s

potential for physical, social, and

mental well-being and to participate

in a society that provides us with

adequate protection, security and

care when we need it.

“Kind hearts are

the garden, kind

thoughts are the root,

kind words are the

blossoms, kind deeds

are the fruit ”

- John Ruskin

WHAT

Garden programmes for active

retirement groups. Offering gardening

and social, recreational and

therapeutic garden activities.

WHY

Gardening empowers us to be more

active, connected, and engaged in life

- key ingredients for living healthier,

more fulfilling and longer lives!

WHERE

Ask your local active retirement

association or contact Sinead Drew by

phoning 01 487 5660 or 087 6977486.

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

GardenWell social, recreational and

therapeutic gardening programme

offers you the opportunity to

participate in four-season garden

clubs. These groups involve

participants in a wide array of activities

related to plants, gardening, nature

and the outdoor environment.

Club members usually meet weekly

or sometimes twice a month. There

is also a monthly garden or nature-related outing.

Other activities include:

► Creating seasonal fresh-cut floral

arrangements

► Indoor plantscaping and plant care

► Creating magnificent hanging

baskets and window boxes

► Garden- and nature-related

outings

► Tending flower gardens

► Cooking with produce and herbs

from the gardens

► Learning how to attract birds and

butterflies to our gardens

the GArdenwell proGrAmme

for Active retired

usinG nAture to nurtureGardenWell Vision: To enrich peoples’ lives through the therapeutic joys of gardening. To be inclusive,

respective and caring to all people at any stage of live. By providing supportive, professional and positive

gardening programmes, GardenWell aims to lighten the load of everyday life, to spark an unknown

interest or passion and allow each person to blossom in their own way and time.

Benefits of GArdeninG



profile

My activities are varied but focus on

championing the benefits of gardening

to individuals and organisations, as well

as teaching techniques and practical

applications so that everyone can take

part and enjoy gardening.

I have experience with many garden

projects serving a wide variety of

agencies and individuals.

One of my key activities is to help

marginalised people to enjoy and to

continue gardening. I offer help and

advice and practical experience.

I offer vocational horticulture training

and tailored gardening programmes andcurricula for many client populations.

I also conduct research to increase

understanding of the power that

gardening has to change people’s lives.

i was brouGht up in a larGe family with a sprawlinG Garden

… roses, c amellias, a GorGeous clematis montana and tons

of daylilies … i was lucky to have a mother who was a keen

Gardener and who bestowed upon me her knowledGe and love of

plants and flowers...

ABout me

... Most days I would be handed out

tasks that, with hindsight, would lay

many of the foundations for what I do

today. The lawn had to be mown, the

onions weeded, carrots thinned or

perhaps the strawberries harvested.

I spent a long time in the garden and,

despite my tender age, learnt how to do

many basic horticultural tasks. I learnt

the cycle of nature.

This contentment

is something I

always refer back

to, especially when

I’m feeling down.

The garden and

gardening itself hasnever failed to be a

source of inspiration

and comfort for me.

For many years this

did not translate into anything other than

a private richness. I did my B.A degree

in Communications and I studied

Physical Therapy for a time, I worked

many different jobs. My husband and I

gardened together from almost the first

day we bought our first home but in our own time. The thought of gardening as a

vocation never entered my mind.

It was when I worked as a facilitator

in an activity based rehabilitation

sineAd drew: GArdenwellprogramme that I first saw how essential

positive training is to recovery and

development. At that time, I had never

even heard of horticultural therapy or

therapeutic horticulture.

My quest for more knowledge

continued, a formal qualification in

horticulture followed and then, as

luck would have it, I got my break

co-coordinating and running a pilot

horticultural activity programme in

a new state-of-the-art residential

care facility catering for people with

a variety of conditions ranging from

depression, challenging behaviours,

autism, acquired brain injuries, the blind

and personality

disorders.

I went on to do

a postgraduate

qualification

in Social and

Therapeutic

Horticulture

in CoventryUniversity, which

paved the way for

many invaluable

experiences

in many garden projects that have

served a wide variety of agencies and

individuals.

Today, my work at GardenWell aims

to be a bridge between the world of

horticulture and the world of health.

Simple things – cutting a hedge,planting a tray of sunflowers – can

lighten the load of everyday life, can

spark an unknown interest or passion

and allow each person to blossom in

their own way and time.

“Sinead has a fantastic

ability to motivate others to

do meaningful activities, she

encourages self belief and

independence. It’s just amazing

how much positive feedback the participants give .”

Dr. Tom O’Brien

a b o u t



Contact Sinead

01 487 5660

087 6977 486

w h at G a r d e n w e l l o f f e r s

“Being part of

the garden

programmehas helped me

become more

independent and

motivated”

“Sinead is very

easy to talk to, she

can get the best

out of me which

is very good. She

motivates me to

garden”

“The most valuable

thing Sinead

has done for me

is to keep me

focused on what

I am doing, my

concentration

levels have really increased”

Using my passion for the power of gardening to positively impact

the lives of people, I will:

n Teach practical and creative ways to use gardening

n Support positive social bonds

n Learn more about how gardening helps you

n Talk about what I do and how I help others to help their

community be a better place by using gardening

n Work with active retirement associations and the

individuals they serve

Sinead offers a person centred series of engaging plant and

natural craft activities as part of every GardenWell programme.

To find out more about SInead Drew and GardenWell:

n visit www.gardenwell.org

n Phone 01 487 5660

n or send an email to [email protected]

moBile indoor / outdoor GArden s ystems

If your group has limited access to outdoor space, or local restrictions that prevent

the establishment of an outdoor garden, indoor gardening is an excellent alternative.

During wet and cold conditions Mobile Gardens are perfect for indoor activities.

Active Gardening for Active Retirement

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