Today in the US and Canada hundreds of hospitals work with plants to provide a powerful form of therapy for patients with emotional and physical disabilities. There are more than 250 registered Horticultural Therapists in North America working in a wide range of settings, from nursing homes to prisons, schools to hospitals, they are trying to ease mental and physical distress and provide creative, recreational and vocational activities for people who often have very few such outlets. Gardening with individuals with disabilities can show surprising results both in improving motor skills and in reducing stress. Twenty minutes of watering and tending plants produces visible calm. By blending gardening and nutritional education, participants begin engaging in healthier behavior, becoming more active and improving their diets.
Disabled people get a hands-on connection with the natural environment and life cycle.
By caring for plants individuals work with a product firmly anchored in reality. Participants realize that they have an effect on something else that is living. Changes in behavior, emotional expression and reliability have occurred. Some disabled gardeners feel a reversal of dependency when they see that they can function independently, and actually garden for themselves. This can bring about a tremendous improvement in feelings of self esteem.