Gardening – A Wonderful Therapeutic Group Activity
By: Ronit Waisbrod, PT, DOR
Group therapy is an important part of our rehab gym.
During group time we are addressing Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology therapeutic goals while enhancing socialization and most importantly having fun.
Our May gardening club meeting was a fun-filled activity.
All it took was five enthusiastic residents, three excited therapists, seeds, soil, pots and water.
Sitting around a big round table, activities such as putting gloves on, distributing the pots, pouring the soil and sprinkle the seeds kept everybody busy and happy.
At the end of the day, we had pots with basil, seeds, parsley, dill, and thyme.
Therapeutic activities that were addressed during this activity were reaching, weight shifting, ROM, vestibular activities during head turns, bending, trunk rotation, fine motor skills with soil digging and seed sprinkling, and much more…
Who knew that having fun could be so therapeutic.