Residents at St John’s Care Home in Spalding are enjoying a garden-based wellness project courtesy of local student Zulfiqar Kachra. Having seen how hard staff have been working in care homes and understanding how difficult the lockdown has been for residents, many of whom have not been able to see their family members for many weeks, he was keen to help in any way that he could.
Zulfiqar has devised an initiative to give residents and staff a different experience by donating a plant for each person at St John’s Care Home to care for, nurture and grow. As part of the project he hopes to bring residents together to enjoy the communal experience of potting the plants and then each looking after them. Plants are great for wellness, are known to boost creativity and support reminiscing activities.
“I am sure that making the time for this purposeful activity of planting and caring for a plant is a great way to reduce the stressful nature of this time in lockdown. Many people will be feeling uncertain about the future due to COVID-19 and having to stay indoors away from their families can be unsettling for some people. I hope this project will help them manage this uncertainty” said Zulfiqar.
“We are very grateful to Zulfiqar for this very generous and thoughtful project.” said Home Manager Tracy Klue. “All of our residents will be able to enjoy their plants whether they are looking after them outdoors or inside in their rooms. They will bring a great deal of joy to both residents and staff, it’s wonderful to see our home full of plants and flowers.”
Gardening has been shown to reduce stress levels and anxiety and it is a great way for older people to take gentle exercise whilst utilising all of their motor skills. Care teams have borne a lot of responsibility during the lockdown and Zulfiqar hopes his project will help both residents and staff by giving them the opportunity to enjoy the experience for growing and nurturing a plant together.
“We have a great opportunity in our country to make differences in our lives and the lives of others, we are in a position to make changes in our cultural values for our futures, both in our own homes and gardens. This project is about getting together to help care home residents with the gardens and boost wellness in care homes, the plants are very nice to have with us in our gardens” said Zulfiqar.
If you would like more information about St John’s Care Home, please get in touch with our Customer Relations Advisor Oliver Parker on 07540 412871 or email careenquiries@countrycourtcare.com.
