The Forget For a Moment Foundation finds innovative ways to bring the peaceful presence of greenery into healthcare facilities, and thanks to contributions from the Ontario Desjardins Credit Union and other donors, the charity has been able to donate 30 new JASMA Healthcare Planters to long-term care residents across Eastern Ontario—a first in Canada.
The mobile gardens are made to bring the healing power of plants indoors, which is also the foundation’s mission. With their sturdy frame, the planters are on wheels that lock and are height-adjustable, so they can be adapted to fit into any indoor space. These accessibility-focused design features combine to make it possible for people in long-term care homes and healthcare centres with limited access to nature to gain the many benefits of gardening without going outdoors.
The planters are more than simply to add decorative house plants. Horticulture scientists have long recorded the health advantages of keeping plants, and residents in long-term care facilities have also observed these benefits. One commented, “I find the planter refreshing and beautiful. Coming from someone with anxiety, it’s soothing to see something growing indoors. Anything that grows is a gift.”
Other therapeutic benefits of gardening include improved air quality, stress reduction, mood enhancement, support for depression and anxiety, maintenance of cognitive function, enhanced productivity, social interaction and creativity.
Caring for plants also adds restorative benefits by introducing a fun and cognitively stimulating activity into daily routines. Establishments that received a JASMA Healthcare Planter can now offer long-term care residents the opportunity to garden indoors all year round.
“We are grateful for the Foundation’s donation of a JASMA Healthcare Planter,” commented the program coordinator at St. Joseph’s Care Centre. “As the Montessori program lead at our centre, I worked with male residents to plant and get their hands in the dirt. Even though their cognition isn’t what it used to be, it was wonderful to see them put their gardening skills to work, something that has brought and continues to bring them so much joy. Each day, we make a point to visit the planter to take care of the hard work they’ve done.”
The Forget For a Moment Foundation has partnered with Root in Nature to train staff and volunteers in therapeutic horticulture (TH) treatment. In doing so, the Forget For a Moment Foundation is equipping people to run plant-related programs to enhance the well-being of residents. This plant-powered treatment is sure to bring peace and purpose to all who participate.
The Forget For a Moment Foundation’s objective is to get JASMA Healthcare Planters into the hands of those who need them, which is a collaborative effort. The idea for the planters came from Angela Nauleau-Javaudin, and DKDI Inc. designed them under the leadership of Jeannine Lafrenière. The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care helped to highlight the effects of JASMA Healthcare Planters, Artistic Landscape Designs donated the plants and the soil, and the Champlain Region Family Council Network helped select residences that would benefit most from the Forget for a Moment Foundation’s donation.
Overall, these helping hands (known collectively as the Healthcare Planter Community) collaborated to deliver the healing power of nature to those who will most benefit from it.
To learn more about the Forget For a Moment Foundation or donate to their cause, visit www.forgetforamoment.org.
To read more about therapeutic horticulture on Root in Nature’s website, visit rootinnature.ca.
