The Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center gets a strolling garden, which features sitting areas, games, and gardens … and many benefits.
By Candace Lea, MBA Community Liaison and Care Manager at the Margaret T. Morris Assisted Living Center and Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center
The Margaret T. Morris Assisted Living Center residents and the Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center participants have been enjoying the spring weather. They are looking forward to more of it. Outdoor activities in the sunshine and fresh air are most definitely what the doctor ordered after a long, cold winter.
The Margaret T. Morris Assisted Living Center has a one-acre strolling garden with beautiful flowers, plants, and fruit trees that attract butterflies. The residents partake in a gardening program where they assist in growing flowers and plants and even help maintain the garden by assisting with watering and pruning.
Thanks to a grant from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), The Susan J. Rheem Adult Day Center (SJRC) will also have a beautiful strolling garden. The half-acre garden will be wheelchair accessible with many shaded areas to sit and relax. The shaded pergola will provide a space for people to sit and do outdoor table-top activities. There will be a sports court where the participants of SJRC can play horseshoes, Bocce Ball, and other fun outdoor games. The raised garden beds will provide an area to grow plants and veggies. There will be a beautiful fountain in the center for all to enjoy—special thanks to AHCCCS for funding this fabulous garden. The Susan J. Rheem Center is Arizona’s only Adult Day Center with a strolling garden.
The benefits of outdoor activities in the sunshine and fresh air include:
- Vitamin D: Sunshine provides much-needed vitamin D, which assists with decreasing depression and osteoporosis.
- Fresh air: Breathing fresh air is not only good for clearing out the lungs and airways, but it also assists with pushing oxygen into our cells.
- Change of scenery: Anytime we get outdoors and get a new perspective, it creates a feeling of rejuvenation.
- Working in the dirt: Horticulture/growing plants has many benefits, such as decreasing depression and anxiety, creating a sense of belonging, and increasing our stress resilience (newportacademy.com).
With all these significant advantages to our health and wellness, why wouldn’t we be excited that spring is here?
The organizers of these fantastic programs hope to obtain donations of vegetable plants and flowers.
To volunteer your time and assist with our gardening programs, please call 928.771.2335. To learn more, visit www.adultcareservices.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.