02 June 2021
News
| Aged Care Homes
Over the past few months, several of the seniors who call Baptistcare Moonya Residential Care in Manjimup home, have been working hard to bring one of the garden courtyards to life.
Now they are looking for extra hands, and hopefully some great plant and flower donations, to take their Moonya garden makeover to the next level.
So, if you are a green thumb with some time to spare, the Baptistcare Moonya team would love to hear from you.
The special project started when resident, Frances Ryan, noticed her friend Jenny Hope did not have the brightest view from her Regency Chair in the lounge area.
Jenny, who has an acquired brain injury and cannot walk, loves to look out of the window, but the previous long, hot summer had left the garden dry and brown.
So, Frances and some of the other residents spoke to the Baptistcare Moonya in the Manjimup team. They agreed that revitalising the garden beds would deliver a beautiful outlook for everyone to enjoy.
While the Baptistcare Moonya residents initially just had input into the design, several keen gardeners wanted to undertake the digging and planting themselves.
According to Baptistcare Moonya Residential Care Manager, Nicolle Warren, the regular gardening sessions are a time of sunshine and humour, with robust discussions about what plants should go where and what will grow well or not.
“The Baptistcare Moonya gardens are important to us all, and it's been fantastic to see the care and teamwork that has gone into transforming the outdoor area," she said.
“Jenny announces to all of our visitors that it is her garden and she is very proud of it.”
The gardening busy bees have been so successful, Nicolle is keen to establish a small army of green volunteers to join the residents in helping Baptistcare Moonya bloom.
“Many of our Baptistcare Moonya residents miss the beautiful gardens they created in their family homes and are finding great joy in planting, trimming and nurturing plants and flowers again," she said.
“It is also stimulating beautiful memories for some of our residents journeying with dementia.
“We would love to have keen gardeners from the local community come and help the residents transform the outdoor areas and chat with them about their love of gardening."
If you have a gardening trowel and can commit a couple of hours each week to do some gardening at Baptistcare Moonya, call 0407 601 945 or click here to find out more about volunteering.
Follow this link for more information about Residential Care or contact us on 1300 275 227.