Residents of senior living community Carillon at Belleview Station earned the Eldergrow award for Happiest Indoor Herb Garden in the United States. Competing among more than 70 senior living communities across the country, the garden built and cared for by Carillon residents was recognized for its beauty, quality results and community participation.
Eldergrow provides innovative indoor therapeutic garden programs to senior living communities. The DIY Culinary Herb Program connects residents of senior living communities with nature and provides sensory stimulation with fresh herbs. The indoor planter box system allows for growing herbs, vegetables, starts, and other plants residents select. The ElderGrow program uses a large wooden planting structure with a soil basin and grow lighting to allow for the planting, maintenance, and cultivation of plants inside the community itself.
“This has been a wonderful program for our residents. They’ve reaped a number of benefits from the ongoing activities to not only grow but use the products they have nurtured. We’re so excited to see their efforts rewarded,” said Carillon at Belleview Station Executive Director, Shannon Dionese.
One resident noted during the award announcement that “The elders grow the garden, and the garden grows the elders.”
A recent study on the impacts of community gardening conducted by the Department of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder found that there were numerous benefits to those who participate, ranging from dietary to exercise, as well as reduced stress and anxiety.
Eldergrow’s program provides communities with fun and engaging ‘Around-the-World’ culinary activities that have numerous wellness benefits. Studies show that horticultural therapy can have a wide range of positive effects on older adults including reduced depression, improved balance and coordination, and lowering the risk factors for dementia by 36%.*
Eldergrow has enjoyed partnering with Carillon at Belleview Station, as well.
“This community is filled with compassion and the staff & residents do an amazing job in caring for the herbs in their garden,” said Kim Obert, Eldergrow’s community success manager. “This is simply a reflection of the care that the staff provides to their residents because if you have a healthy garden, you know you have a healthy community.”
*University of Washington, 2014
About Eldergrow
Founded in 2015, Eldergrow enhances the quality of life for older adults by creating meaningful connections to nature through innovative, therapeutic gardening programs. The DIY Culinary Herb Garden includes fresh herb deliveries with engaging ‘Around the World’ programming. The Therapeutic Horticulture Garden program is a hands-on wellness program facilitated by in-person Eldergrow Educators who teach therapeutic gardening classes and provide garden maintenance. Each of the programs is centered around indoor, mobile gardens which are handcrafted in Washington by veterans and adults living with disabilities. For more information, visit www.Eldergrow.org