We know that a room full of plants can really bring life and brighten up an area, especially on gray winter days. But did you also know that there are health benefits for your aging parent having plants in the home? Even if your elderly parent doesn’t have a green thumb, you can help her collect a nice assortment of plants in her living environment and set up the care that is needed for them if she is unable to care for them. Your elderly care provider can water, prune and fertilize the plants if your parent is unsure or unable to do so.
Just a few benefits of putting in the extra effort and work of growing houseplants are listed below:
Better Emotional and Mental Health
For some people, having a plant to “look after” and take care of gives a sense of peace and purpose. When overwhelmed by anxious thoughts, it can help to redirect a person’s focus by caring for her plants. Simply strolling through an assortment of plants in a sunroom or corner of an apartment, can be therapeutic.
Allergy Relief
Rooms with lots of plants tend to have less dust and mold, common allergens that may bother your parent. The leaves act as filters that will catch particles in the air that inflame allergies. If this is a benefit you are seeking to obtain, keep plant choices to those that do not have spores or emit pollen.
Provide Humidity to Rooms
Houseplants add moisture to the air, improving the health quality of the air in a room. This benefit can help reduce winter conditions such as dry skin, sore throats and even the common cold. Hanging plants such as spider plants are great humidifiers but may prove to be difficult for your parent to reach up and water. Have your elderly care provider add watering them to her weekly schedule to keep these plants in their best condition.
Aromatherapy
Whether it’s the scent of herbs like lavender or mint, or if it’s the smell of flowers like lilies, our emotions can be deeply tied to a smell or scent that brings back pleasant memories. This mood lifter is sure to help your parent even through the dreariest of days.
Stress Relief
Being around plants has a calming effect on many people. Whether it’s stroking the leaves of philodendron plant, inhaling the perfume of a Gerbera Daisy, or even sinking her hands into the soil while replanting one of her plants, these types of physical interactions with plants are known to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and even relax a racing heart.
Find out what plants speak to your aging parent’s heart. Are there plants that she grew up with that bring back good memories of her past? Or maybe there are plants that your parent has always thought of as beautiful or exotic and would love to have in her home. Your elderly care provider can bring your parent to a nursery (or even a floral department in many major grocery stores) to pick up some plants she’d like to have in her home. If your parent is staying home for safety reasons right now, she could also have plants delivered or ask you or her elderly care provider to pick them up and bring them over.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Durham, NC please contact the caring staff at Affordable Family Care. Serving Raleigh, Greensboro, and the surrounding areas in North Carolina. Call today 919-676-1070.
Source: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-health-benefits-houseplants
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