Gardening offers a lovely spring and summertime activity for senior caregivers to relieve stress and for their senior clients to get outdoors for an hour or two to get some light physical activity. The process of planning and planting a garden helps keep senior minds active and prevent onset of dementia. Using the Burpee Garden Time app, senior caregivers and their clients can plan out the various plants they’d like to grow in their garden.
When users first open the app, they are met with a blank white screen with a single button at the bottom reading, “Let’s Get Started.” The blank screen makes it seem as though something is still loading or missing, but once users hit the button it takes them to the actual homepage to browse plants. The plants are broken into three categories: vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Each plant features its own page with Growing Instructions, Videos and information on Planting Dates. Notably, the Planting Dates information specifies the best way to grow that particular plant, whether it’s ideal to begin growing them indoors and transfer them to the garden later or to sow the seeds directly in the garden.
To get the most accurate planting instructions, users should create an account with their location. With a location in place, the app offers a specific range of dates to sow the vegetable based on the needs of the plant. Even caregivers or senior clients who may not have their own designated garden space can grow a few different plants in large pots on balconies, porches or just outside of the door to their house.
Topics for the in-app videos include information on different types of that plant, caring for that plant, common diseases for that plant and how to sow that particular plant. The My Garden area of the app also offers users the ability to look at all of the plants they’ve chosen for their garden and the Planner sets upcoming tasks for users to complete. The Weather area also provides the local forecast.
Caregivers can use gardening as a way to get outside, connect with nature and focus on something other than the stressors in their daily life. For their senior clients, gardening provides an opportunity to go outside and flex a few of their muscles in a low intensity way.
The Burpee Garden Time Planner app is available for Apple and Android platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discover additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist.
