Why Green Space is Important for Older Adults.
There are so many benefits for seniors to experience when they explore a green space or a beautiful outdoor living area. Not only can green spaces benefit your health, but they provide a space for you to visit with loved ones, especially if you choose to reside in a senior living community.
The Benefits of Green Space for Seniors
What are some of the many benefits of enjoying the outdoors?
Spending time outdoors can increase the levels of serotonin in your brain, which helps prevent and lessen the effects of stress, fatigue, and depression.
Access to outdoor grounds and gardens will provide access to more sunlight than you would get indoors, which increases your body’s vitamin D levels. This can lower the risk of many health conditions, including osteoporosis and diabetes. Spending time in a well-lit area outdoors is also beneficial for your eyesight since too much time inside dark rooms can put stress on your vision.
Other benefits of outdoor engagement include lowering stress, improving sleep and improving memory. By exercising in a green space, you may also be able to improve your immune health and increase your overall energy levels. This is because even light exercises, like walking, stimulate blood flow and promote your cardiovascular health.
Types of Green Spaces Seniors Can Enjoy
There are several different types of green spaces other than simple backyards. In fact, a green space can be anything from a community park to a green rooftop, a community garden, a community wetland or woodland, or even an arboretum.
An arboretum is a type of green space that is dedicated to growing and maintaining trees. Known collectively as arboreta, many scientists all over the world like to use arboreta to study woody plants and conduct research on how to conserve certain plant species.
About the Arboretum at Park Place of Elmhurst in Illinois
Park Place of Elmhurst is a highly rated senior living community in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it happens to be home to an arboretum. This community’s arboretum allows residents to enjoy spending time among the trees, and it gives everyone who lives in either the independent living, memory support, assisted living, rehabilitation, or skilled nursing buildings a chance to get outside and reap the benefits of the outdoors.
The Park Place of Elmhurst Arboretum is 12 acres large, and it features 28 varieties of trees along with garden plots for residents. All trees are labeled for residents to identify, and there are many shrubs and flowers that are planted during different seasons. For residents of Park Place of Elmhurst, this green space is always open for use, and events are often held right at the arboretum.
The Director of Park Place of Elmhurst has said of the arboretum, “Being accredited as an arboretum allows our community and the surrounding community to know that our green space is important to the mission of Park Place. It ensures that we will maintain our space for generations to come.”
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program
Additionally, the Park Place of Elmhurst Arboretum is accredited by ArbNet. ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, and international community of arboreta that are all accredited based on a set of professional standards. This means that the Park Place of Elmhurst Arboretum is classified as a publicly accessible site with a governing body and a plan to maintain and conserve the arboretum.
If you’d like to spend more time at the Park Place of Elmhurst Arboretum, consider joining the Park Place community. At our senior living community, you can choose from a variety of floor plans and care levels to meet your future needs, and our community will strive to support you in your healthy aging journey.