We recently attended the Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) Conference. It's a place where aged care providers unite to explore ideas and commit to plans of action for 'better aging futures' - particularly relevant in light of the Royal Commission's Inquiry into aged care this year.
SeniorGrow
You might be wondering what Vegepod, a gardening company, was doing at an aged care summit? Well, for those not in the know, 'SeniorGrow' is a gardening program we created that uses Vegepods in aged care settings (nursing homes, respites, retirement villages, diversional and occupational therapy settings etc.). It's designed to help our seniors build their capacity, eat healthy food, enjoy sensory experiences absolutely anywhere and generally just have happy times amongst greenspaces with the world’s most accessible garden. Some are even wheeled in and out every day to those who are bedridden.
Here's a few pics from the last two years of the SeniorGrow program in action:
Simon gardening with residents at UnitingCare.
Staff and residents admiring Vegepods at WesleyMission.
Vegepod At LASA
At LASA, we wanted to impress delegates and attendees with what the Vegepod can do. We showed off a little with a bright and colourful display that demonstrated how Vegepod's self-wicking beds, elevated to waist level height were senior-friendly and very low maintenance for orgs who may struggle to keep on top of regular gardens.
Time and again, delegates would comment on how our booth was the most appealing in the entire exhibition. Lively and glorious plants are heroes amongst the somewhat sterile world of exhibition booths! One delegate left a review comment for our stall and we quote; "I totally get it. I can immediately see the benefits of Vegepod's waist height gardening for seniors. I don't mean just its physical advantages, but also how aged care residents might improve their wellbeing by spending time in the garden - getting active, overcoming boredom and interacting with others. It just makes sense."
Going forward, we're excited to see SeniorGrow expanding and helping all our seniors out there experience a better quality of life. Interested in getting involved or suggesting to an aged care facility you know about our Vegepods and the free SeniorGrow support program? Head over to our community programs page or email us at info@vegepod.com.au.
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