Older Gardeners Have a Better Quality of Life

From Top News.

"It has been added by US researchers that people who are old and do gardening are better off when it comes to being physically active and a better quality of life as compared to those who are non-gardeners.

A survey was conducted by Aime Sommerfeld, Jayne Zajicek and Tina Waliczek of Texas A&M and Texas State universities of people whose age was 50 years and more and it was seen that when it comes to planning for the months to come, about 84% of gardeners were better than non-gardeners as gardeners plan their activity in advance.

It was also seen that gardeners scored better than non-gardeners when it came to overall satisfaction scores as they lead better lives and remained active despite digging up mud, pruning and planting.

The energy level of people who had their fingers green was also seen to be better.

Experts also termed gardening to be a good option for keeping fit when one gets old but the best part of gardening was leading a better quality of life as gardeners always had something to do."

Jeez--I'm near that age level, and they make it sound like all 50-year-olds are supposed to be decrepit or something. I've had rheumatoid arthritis for over 40 years, and even I can still get out to garden, and still walk upright, and have gray hair in recession. Never had surgery, never had a joint replaced (yet), and never had to use a biologic medicine (yet).

Don't ask me to run--I'm trying to preserve what knee cartilage I have left, so as to avoid knee surgery for as long as possible.

I suppose the article writer thinks we all eat the "Western" diet or something. If I still did, I'd have been dead a decade ago.

I'm nothing--I have a neighbor in his 70's who's an avid rose buff--his whole front yard is filled with high-maintenance, show-quality specimen roses (which he does show), and he's out there every day it isn't raining or snowing to do some sort of thing to the roses: pruning, grafting, transplanting, mulching, whatever. His whole back yard is the same way, only filled with miniature roses. He got a post-retirement job at a nursery to help pay for his passion.

I wish I could say the same for HIS neighbors: a man and woman, both in their late 70's-early 80's, one has Alzheimer's and the other A-fib (a heart ailment), and is using a cane due to a hip replacement. The only time I see either one of them is when they're getting into or out of the car--doctor appointments consume most of their time. Worries about how they can't afford a nursing home unless they sell the house takes up most of their energy.

Older gardeners, particularly food growers, probably have as better quality of life because they eat what they grow--their food doesn't come from cans, boxes, or jars (unless they put it there themselves, such as preserving).