April 2008 Vol. 27. No. 4

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Fortuna -- Gardening for the heart
No farmers market vouchers
Play ball
Crescent City: Community garden project needs volunteers
Doorstep services -- opportunities for home delivery
Financial abuse ­ Ombudsmen learn how to prevent elder abuse

Pick up a copy today! Better yet, subscribe and never miss an issue!

Brought to you by

Fortuna -- Gardening for the heart
by Lorna Hahner

Imagine this: A beautiful garden where adults with a variety of medical challenges can get out in the fresh air and sunshine, see colors and smell scents, hear birds sing, and watch leaves blow in the breeze. We work together touching plants and enjoying the feel of the soil. This special garden is in the heart of Fortuna at Fortuna Adult Day Health Services, 2280 Newburg Road.

Participants who attend the FADHS program share the planning and planting of their own flower and vegetable gardens which provide therapy, sensory pleasure and relaxation.

When the Adult Day Health program moved to its new location in July 1999 we acquired a building with approximately three-quarters of an acre of unimproved grassland. At the time it seemed an overwhelming task to develop the grounds ourselves.

Before we moved to the new location we formed a group among participants who were interested in having a beautiful garden. They shared their ideas and wish lists. Some submitted sketches, and one in particular caught my attention. It was a picture of a heart-shaped walkway with wheelchair accessible planters placed at various points in the middle of the walkway so both sides could be accessed. Once we moved to the location we realized that the yard was at a different angle than we originally thought, so the heart design became an oval.

In May 2001, the walkway and planters became a reality thanks to a grant from the Mel McLean Foundation. Over the years many people and businesses in the community have supported us. Some of these are the California Conservation Corps, Fortuna Garden Club, Fortuna Feed, Wildwood Feed, Wendt Construction, Pacific Lumber Company, Del Mar Glen Heather Nursery, College of the Redwoods, Sunshine Garden Nursery and Fortuna Ace Hardware.

Recently FADHS received a grant from the Rose Perenin Foundation to add a new therapy room to the present building. Included in this grant was an extension of the garden to include an outdoor rose garden and bus waiting area for the participants. The Sunrise Rotary Club donated its labor to build a fence surrounding the new area. Other volunteers who put in posts for the fence were Al Burrows and Van Hahner. Dennis Buffum recently built us a gate to complement and complete the fence. It is definitely a work in progress.

We now have a garden group of about 11 people who have been planting seeds and transplanting seedlings to get ready for our vegetable and flower garden this year. Soon they will be going outside weekly to water, weed and manage their individual gardens.

The gardening classes in our activity program begin in January and are taught by Dennis Buffum and me. Geraldine Spiers helps out whenever possible and donated some seeds for the vegetable garden this year. Helping each other is one of our themes, and we develop a special bond in the process.

Some of the garden group have also taken field trips to gardens of the staff and other community members. They paint wooden signs to personalize their gardens and get a sense of independence and ownership. Many of our participants help by staining and maintaining the patio furniture and painting the fence. They are able to soak up plenty of vitamin D from the sun which is critical for good health.

We now have clients gardening everywhere there¹s a vacant spot. We added five large flower barrels which were donated last year.

At FADHS we believe our garden offers recreation, meditation, mental healing, social interaction and sensory stimulation. Garden therapy programs such as ours often result in increased self-esteem and self-confidence for all participants. We enjoy barbecues and even campfires in the summer.

Fortuna Adult Day Health Services would like to invite anyone interested in seeing the garden to come Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Anyone who would like to learn more about the FADHS program or volunteer to work in the garden is also welcome to visit or call Marjorie, the program manager, at 725-6927, ext. 208.

Lorna Hahner is garden manager and activities aide at Fortuna Adult Day Health Services.