November, a time for Remembrance.

November 30, 2019

November started with OT week; the theme was Small Change, Big Impact. The OT’s at Stanford Hall ran workshops every lunchtime for staff to promote what they do from mindfulness, to wheelchair skills, to assessing cognitive function. Horticultural Therapy ran a workshop on making Autumn Wreaths and the week ended with the Commanding Officer’s coffee morning. There were a variety of stalls with information about the OT role. The Horticultural Therapy stall was furnished with the seasonal planner poster and the last of the chilli harvest for some Winter colour.

Autumn clearance

This month has been very wet, so we have spent a lot of time in the greenhouse but have managed to escape outside in between the downpours with a focus on pruning, cutting back, lifting plants and planting bulbs. The rose bed has marked its first year anniversary. It was the first activity we did with our first patient referred to Horticultural Therapy so a big milestone for us.

Learning the principles of pruning is a useful skill which can be applied to a variety of plants of all shapes and sizes. It is also an activity which requires concentration, accuracy, good hand function, an ability to retain information and make decisions. It is therefore a good opportunity to further develop these skills. For some patients it has been a chance to learn new a new skill, practise an existing skill or provide a springboard to potentially move into a career in Arboriculture.

Neuro Group

The planters in the Neuro garden have now been cleared and the Neuro greenhouse has served as a giant coldframe for some of our plants.

Seasonal Autumn wreaths have produced a wide variety of design ideas so a chance to be innovative. It has enabled us to talk about the foliage used for decoration such as seed heads, to better understand what they are and where they come from, so expanding plant knowledge. This is also a perfect activity for sequencing, following a process, and manual dexterity. The result is very rewarding, and the patients involved have been really pleased with what they have created which have either been taken home or proudly displayed in the greenhouse.

Remembrance

November is always a month for Remembrance. We have a section at the end of our perennial bed which will always be filled with poppies and next year will give thought to making wreaths to mark this occasion.

Autumn planter.

Andy working with a patient.

Memorial at Stanford Hall.

Autumn wreaths.

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