Christopher Ball

UNC DPT c/o 2015

## Garden Parameters:

- • fenced-in garden plots each 100-1000 sq ft • fenced-in garden plots each 100-1000 sq ft
- o allow sufficient space between fence and the border of garden bed to enable safe working o allow sufficient space between fence and the border of garden bed to enable safe working space and decrease falls risk or incidence of injury
- o shaded areas o shaded areas
- o and tool modifications o and tool modifications
- § Padded handles, larger gripped handles
- § Tools of multiple lengths
- § Lighter tools
- § Knee pads
- o that swing out o that swing out
- o garden beds of adjustable height to better accommodate patient ability and o garden beds of adjustable height to better accommodate patient ability and prevention of vertebral injury regarding bending, lifting, twisting, kneeling in the older adult
- o attached seating along fence-line to allow for rest-breaks as needed o attached seating along fence-line to allow for rest-breaks as needed

## Prospective Volunteer Staff:

- • Rehabilitation Health professionals and associated student clinicians. • Rehabilitation Health professionals and associated student clinicians.
- o therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, athletic training o therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, athletic training
- • center employees • center employees
- • Nutritionist (educational component) • Nutritionist (educational component)
- • Farmers, experienced gardeners (active or retired) • Farmers, experienced gardeners (active or retired)
- • community members well versed in manual labor • community members well versed in manual labor

## Education component:

Three patient education sessions will be offered monthly at 6:00pm on the first-day, fifteenth-day and last day of each month. Each session will focus on one of three components independently (listed below)

- • Aerobic Conditioning and Ergonomics: (first day of each month) • Aerobic Conditioning and Ergonomics: (first day of each month)
- o session held monthly by skilled rehabilitation health professionals (PT/OT combo o session held monthly by skilled rehabilitation health professionals (PT/OT combo preferably) discuss/teach methods to optimize participation and prevent injury during the program as well as answer participant questions or possible problems.
- § Multi-sensory consideration with balance training
- § Muscle balance (strength vs extensibility)
- § Overall lower-extremity strength
- § Proper ergonomics, body mechanics and possible technique modifications with completion of labor-based functional tasks.
- • farming education: (fifteenth day of each month) • farming education: (fifteenth day of each month)
- o every other month by local farmers and provide technical information dependent on o every other month by local farmers and provide technical information dependent on appropriate season including potential recipes and healthy ways to prepare food grown.
- o to include planning and planting, watering, fertilizing, pest-control, composting and soil o to include planning and planting, watering, fertilizing, pest-control, composting and soil maintenance and preparation
- o ergonomics and techniques concerning all gardening practices will be conducted by the o ergonomics and techniques concerning all gardening practices will be conducted by the OT/PT and Farming entity together.
- • Education: (Last-day of each month) • Education: (Last-day of each month)
- o by Nutritionist and held at community center o by Nutritionist and held at community center