Plant Therapy

Therapy That Results In Real Growth
The healing power of gardening starts when our residents use their hands to plant seeds in soil and is realized with a beaming smile as they pluck a perfectly ripe summer tomato from the vine.

GARDENING WITH A PURPOSE

At Encore, our residents share the joy of being with living plants and reap the many benefits. They experience true gardening by planting, tending, and harvesting seasonal produce, like tomatoes, okra, and cucumber. Once ripe, Encore’s dietary department incorporates the fresh, locally-grown produce into its cooking for community meals.

 

Thanks to a combined effort of Encore’s Life Enrichment Director and Malvern High School’s Future Farmers of America organization, wheelchair-accessible planters were recently constructed for residents. Teachers and students from the high school also frequently share their agricultural expertise along with tips and tricks for gardening with our residents.

Plus, our residents get excited when they can snap and prep beans and purple hull peas that local area farmers bring in when they have a surplus. Our dietary managers often incorporate this farm-fresh produce into meals.

 

Combined, these garden-based and nurturing activities help our residents experience a renewed sense of purpose and support a higher quality of life. The colors and aromas of garden produce bring back pleasant memories and create new ones.

  • “The friendships Encore has made with high school choirs, FFA organizations, Girl Scouts, area farmers, etc. have turned into one big family. With community involvement, we have an even more vibrant, lively home at Encore.”

    Ashley L. | Encore Life Enrichment Director