-by Nakasia Logan
World Occupational Therapy Day 2026 is celebrated today October 27.
And on this occasion, we share with you how gardening is being used as therapy for persons recovering from stroke.
A number of stroke patients gathered at the Palms Elderly Care Facility on Brickdam to engage in fun but meaningful activities that would contribute to improving their daily lives.
Occupational Therapist, Crystal Gill says the intention is to give patients the opportunity to engage in the things they once loved doing while still going through rehabilitation.
“When we were doing our assessments for you guys we noticed that one of the main things, one of the main hobbies people had before that they stopped doing after the stroke was gardening, and so we felt the need to do this activity for you guys today,” Gill said.
The aim of the therapy is to help patients regain their independence as much as possible, even if recovery means learning new ways to perform everyday tasks.
“Our goal is to get you back to being as independent as possible which includes you getting back to doing certain things like dressing bathing cooking by yourself. It may not be the same as before but we teach you new things again,” she explained.
From digging in the soil to holding seeds and watering plants, each movement creates an opportunity for practicing coordination and improving upper limb movement.
A representative of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute was also onboard to offer gardening tips.
