Growing Older, Growing Smarter

 Growing older and smarter

Retirement has many benefits. You can spend your entire day in the garden, if that's what you desire. You can take a break after just a few hours. Digging holes, weeding and maintaining a vegetable garden become less important when you're older than 35. You don't even have to return to work Monday morning. However, there are still choices for older people. Dean Failor (72), who lives in South Beach and has been gardening for 50 years, says that he had to change his attitude. He grows sugar snappeas, broccoli, and other crops. But he uses raised beds and not long rows to make weeding easier. To supplement his harvest, he also buys produce from local farmers' markets. He also grows roses but sticks to low-maintenance varieties that suit his climate. Failor said, "There comes a moment when you just have say 'I'm too tired to do that.'" "Easy care is the mantra. Research shows that gardening is good for you. A British Journal of Sports Medicine published results last fall that show regular activity such as gardening can reduce stroke risk and help you live a longer and healthier life. Researchers studied a group consisting of 4,000 sixty-year-olds from Stockholm, Sweden over 12 years. Researchers found that those who were most active in daily activities had a 27% lower chance of stroke or heart attack, and a 30% lower risk of all causes death.

Although gardening can be difficult due to physical limitations, Barb Kreski, director horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, says "we accommodate these changes through some helpful tools or changing how we go about tasks." The Buehler Enabling Garden's purpose is to inspire people with disabilities and older gardeners to dig in the dirt. Hanging baskets are set up on pulley systems that allow them to be lowered. On gates and faucets, levers are used, rather than knobs. These plants are low-maintenance and dwarf trees and shrubs.

Kreski recommends large pots, planters and raised beds. They are easy to work with and don't require any bending. Drip-irrigation and soap hoses make it easy to move hoses around. A garden cart allows you to easily transport tools and supplies.

Everyone should include a retirement plan that includes a few extra dollars for ergonomically designed and well-made tools. Failor uses a gardening fork for many tasks. Failor says the fork is lighter than a spade and it also doesn't make things easier. His favorite tool for weeding is the Cape Cod Weeder. This hand-held tool has a sharp, hook-shaped knife.

Reducing your activities is important. Kreski advises that it is important to note what you like most, and what you dread the most.

Kreski recommends that gardeners of any age wear sunscreen and a hat. Senior gardeners especially should use gloves. "Invest in good gloves that you can use no matter what task it is," Kreski says. Infection is easy to spread through cuts and abrasions. For older persons, gardening with older people