Gardening improves balance, walking speed in elderly people with cognitive impairment and dementia, makes them more social as well

>The study involved a small group of institutionalized elderly who participated in hour-long gardening sessions (such as preparing the beds, weeding, trimming, harvesting, etc.) twice a week for 12 weeks, and a control group who did not do gardening. Both groups took part in the institution’s social activities.
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>By the end of the 12-week period, the group that did the gardening maintained their baseline performance on the static balance, while the control group showed a decline. Their gait speed also improved, while that of the control group did not change.

>Another significant finding was that those doing the gardening became more social

>The quality of family relationships has also positively changed. Participants proudly showed visiting relatives around and told them about their gardening activities.

Paper: [Effect of horticultural therapy on static, dynamic balance and gait speed among institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment](https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jcim-2024-0100/html)