The healing properties of gardens in retirement and aged care
Retirement Villages & Aged Care Landscape Maintenance
When it comes to landscaping in the retirement, health and aged care industries, gardens do far more than just fill beds and increase occupancy rates. Landscaping directly impacts the health of residents, both physically and mentally. That’s why when we start work at any new retirement village or aged care facility, we take a holistic approach. We take one area of stress away from our clients, ensuring the gardens and landscaping are always looking their best.
We work closely with facility operators to create gardens that are immersive, enticing, and are as special to residents as they gardens they would have had in past homes. With over 29 years of experience working in retirement and aged care facilities, we know how sensitive these areas can be. We hand pick our team to ensure they have the skills and knowledge to thrive in the environment, and ensure we select teams of passionate and friendly horticulturalists who will become valued members of the residents’ community.
The healing properties of gardens
Numerous studies over the years have recognised the benefits of gardening on our physical health, as well as our mental wellbeing. When it comes to retirement and aged care residents at a time when hobbies and activities may not be as simple to partake in as they once were, gardening is a great healthy habit.
Physical benefits include:
Gentle form of physical exercise
Uses motor skills
Can help prevent health issues like osteoporosis
Exposure to Vitamin D
Builds strength
In terms of wellbeing, gardening can:
Be a mood booster
Reduce stress levels
Provide a social outlet and help residents feel a sense of connection
A sense of satisfaction
Alleviate the symptoms of dementia
Download our latest ebook and find out why the garden needs to be a key consideration in your retirement and aged care community. AND we’ve thrown in some ideas for how you can give your village a distinctly greener tinge.
Making gardens accessible
We tailor gardens and landscaping to the particular village and the needs of residents. Community vegetable gardens to encourage residents to move outdoors, raised vegetable planters that eliminate stress on backs and joints, sensory gardens for dementia patients – we can create a well-designed space that specifically accounts to those who will be using it.
Landscaping is essential to resident safety
Overhanging branches, leaf litter that hides hazards below, ground cover obstructing pathways… landscaping left unmaintained can be a recipe for disaster. The last thing any operator wants is an injury or fall thanks to a branch not removed from a path. As part of our landscaping services, our teams conduct daily sweeps of the grounds to check for issues or possible safety hazards. Car parks are kept clean, with important signage always kept visible.
Presentation makes sales happen
Landscaping can have a big impact on sales in a retirement village and aged care facility. Whether it’s a planting style that buyers have an affinity too, the perception of the lifestyle the gardens create, or the message a well-tended-to garden sends, there is no denying that landscaping contributes to occupancy rates.
Enhance your property and its price tag but providing residents with a space they can envisage themselves in and want to show off. Seasonal updates around your reception and sales centre are a great method of keeping things looking fresh, conveying the right message to visitors. As younger generations also realise the benefits of the garden on health and partake in the activity themselves, they too may take particular notice of an aged care facility that provides a number of gardens for their relatives to spend time.
Join us on a Spring Walk
We know residents love to talk gardening with our team on the ground, which is why we host an annual Spring Walk at our retirement and aged care villages. It’s the perfect opportunity for residents to engage with our team and enjoy a lovely morning team after a tour around the grounds.
Not only does it provide residents with the opportunity to get to know our team better, but they are able to ask questions about why we do the things we do, discuss the recent updates that have been made around the grounds, and to get a feel for what residents would love to see happen in the future.
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We’ll look after:
- Lawns
- Residents front yards
- Club house areas
- Reception & sales centre landscaping
- On site golf course
- Bowling greens
- Community gardens & vegetable spaces
- Irrigation installation and maintenance
- Indoor plant maintenance
- Storm clean up services
Watch this video to see how Landscape Solutions is helping Aveo create exceptional spaces for their residents.
Could your gardens do with some improvement?
We’d love to help.
Talk to one of our landscape specialists to get started.
Hospital Landscaping
A space that says ‘you’re safe’
The entry into a hospital building or setting should be a positive experience. The operation or appointment a patient is walking into could be simple or it could be a daunting, life changing experience. Whatever the reason for their presence, we make sure hospitals are sending patients the message that they are entering a safe, supportive and caring space. What we don’t want is someone entering a space where they have to worry about cleanliness or attention to detail. This goes for visitors and family members too. Hospital landscaping is a powerful tool that can help to dramatically improve the patient experience.iscuss the best way to make your grounds look their best again on a budget that suits your organisation.
The green healing process
The feeling that you are being well looked after is crucial in recovery in any hospital setting. Gardens designed to heal can help make patients feel more at home, and more relaxed in an unknown setting. In fact, studies demonstrate the direct impact greenery can have on recovery time. Looking out a window with views of trees, flowers and water can have positive physiological changes on recovering patients in just three to five minutes. When it comes to hospital outdoor landscape design, both our landscape construction and landscape maintenance teams are equipped with the experience and knowledge to create a space that is going to thrive and have the desired effect.
Reducing the stress on health care workers
Working in a hospital setting is inevitably at times going to be a high-stress experience. Whether your hospital landscaping is an indoor planting oasis or well-tended to gardens, providing health care workers with a green space enables them to take a break from the job and recharge. 10 minutes traipsing through meandering pathways bordered by shade trees and leafy greens offers workers fresh air, Vitamin D and on opportunity to alleviate their stress for a little while, and come back recharged.
Head to our profile on Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital to see what an impact the gardens have on patients and workers there.
Whether you’re looking at hospital landscaping or improving the gardens in your retirement and aged care facilities, here are the answers to a few Frequently Asked Questions:
You can get a quote by contacting us here. All you need to do is give us a brief overview of what you’re looking to do, and the most appropriate person from our team will give you a call to discuss possible options. Alternatively, just give us a call. We’ll have a chat about your needs and put together a proposal so you know exactly what’s included from the beginning.
Definitely! Indoor plants can be a tricky beast and need a specific combination of light, water and nutrients. We will make recommendations on the best species for your location and positioning, and then continue to nurture and care for them and ensure they thrive. Indoor plants also improve air quality so ensuring these are well maintained is something we strongly encourage for these kinds of spaces.
Yes. Our landscape construction division has a lot of experienced building landscapes in aged care and retirement settings. They can help with your hospital landscaping too. We will first get a brief on what you would like to achieve, and we can then develop a plan to best achieve your construction outcomes.
Could your gardens do with some improvement?
We’d love to help.
Talk to one of our landscape specialists to get started.