Gardening can be a relaxing and peaceful hobby when you retire, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t know some of the best ways of keeping safe when doing so. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the best ways to keep safe while gardening so you can enjoy it for many years to come.
Making Your Garden Accessible
Firstly, you will need to make your garden accessible, so you don’t trip, slip or fall when going to it. Gardeners like to tend to their gardens all year round, so having a nice flat path can help you avoid trips and falls, which can be devastating to an older person.
If you don’t have a path and walk over unlevel terrain, this could become a problem in the future, so while you can still access your garden, you should look to install a level surface that can allow you access to your garden.
A solid cement path is your best option as it’s flat, won’t be slippery when it rains, and there won’t be any way for it to become uneven, unlike a stone path where stones can be pulled up. A cement path can be expensive, but it will last a lifetime.
If this is too expensive, you could install larger stones and fill the gaps between them.
Get A Gardening Trolley.
Accidents in the garden can happen when a person isn’t focused on the task at hand, and this can happen when a person is carrying more objects than they can handle. In this case, it’s a good idea to either get someone to help you carry your gardening equipment, make multiple trips and carry less or use a gardening trolley that can be pulled behind you.
A gardening trolley is a great device as the wheels make the items easier to transport while allowing them to concentrate on the path they need to walk to get to the garden.
Use Specialist Tools
Gardening for the elderly can be difficult as you can lose your strength in your hands, and putting all your effort into gripping a tool could take your concentration away from using it safely. If you find it difficult to use your gardening tools, then talk to your local gardening store to see if there are more specialized tools that can help.
Level Off Your Garden
Gardening on a slope is difficult for all ages, but it can be a major safety concern as you become older. If you do have a garden that is on a slope, you should consider leveling it off. Leveling a garden can be expensive, but it will make your garden safer so you can enjoy it for many years to come.
Have A Plan In Case Of An Emergency
As a gardener, you are always at risk of having an accident, but as an elderly gardener, these accidents can be life-threatening. A trip or fall in the garden for an older person could mean a sprain, fracture, or even death.
If you are an elderly gardener, you should make sure to let someone know where you are going, especially if you are on an allotment and what time you intend to return. Some elderly may not have the luxury of having someone to watch out for them, so you could also take a mobile phone with you with a list of emergency contacts. With that said, accidents can be painful and sometimes causes people not to think straight. In this case, I would recommend using a fall alarm, which can automatically contact emergency services or emergency contacts on your behalf.
Companies such as Taking Care have personal fall alarms for the elderly that can do the above for you, and for a small investment a month, it can keep you a lot safer than carrying a mobile phone on its own.
Get Help When You Need It.
There’s nothing wrong with asking for help as you grow older. You should only do the gardening tasks that you are physically capable of and, for everything else, get someone to help you with them. Heavy lifting tasks can take your mind away from your footing, which can cause a nasty fall, but even if that doesn’t happen, you could strain your muscles by putting too much strain on them.