When taking care of you is priority, caregiving improves for your aging loved one living in Phoenix. When your senior is safe and comfortable, worry lessen.

Carol’s Notes: Most of us love gardens, whether they grow flowers, vegetables or plants. Working in the garden is a good way for seniors to remain active and outdoors. The trick is to find a way for them to be active in a garden but to use caution and be safe. What about your senior loved one? Will they be planting fresh vegetables or pretty flowers this spring? Do they have a plan? Here are a few tips to get started (if there is space for one in the yard):

• Seniors can enjoy creating a plan for the plants and have another person install the plants
• A family member could go to the nursery to pick the plants and flowers up, if the senior is no longer driving
• Use ergonomic gardening tools that seniors can use while sitting or standing
• Choose plants that will grow tall so your senior’s pruning is not hampered by mobility
• Consider planting an indoor herb garden which requires minimal care

Before getting started:

• Remove and compost dead annual plants that remains from the winter
• Take action against weeds with some pro-active weeding. Damp soil makes it much easier to pull young weed seedlings
• Test the soil before adding things to it. If the soil was amended in the fall, check to see how balanced things are
• Plants enjoy a good feeding in the spring, when they’re having an initial growth spurt
• Spring is the ideal time for dividing or transplanting
• Mulch is great for the garden. It conserves water, cools plant roots, feeds the soil, smothers weeds

There are springtime activities that the aging population may enjoy with a family caregiver or friend like walking or driving to look at spring flowers. Visit a local park to feed the ducks and enjoy the warmer weather; or going shopping for home items needed for spring. Seniors engaging in these activities need to remember:

• Not to over-do physical activity
• Take regular breaks
• Remain well-hydrated
• Pay attention to physical signs of fatigue

We look forward to spring, it’s a time of renewal. How do you plan to celebrates the fresh start this year?