THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 8, 1996 TAG: 9608060162
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
When other residents at Lake Taylor Hospital played bingo, sang favorite songs or painted, 92-year-old Edna Gross would just sit and watch, never really caring much about participating in the organized activities.
But last winter, when staff and volunteers at Lake Taylor Hospital decided to build a wheelchair-accessible garden for residents, a light came on in Gross' life.
It's been glowing ever since.
``I love to see things grow that I plant,'' the longtime Norfolk resident said one recent sunny afternoon as she weeded the courtyard garden full of blooming flowers and plump vegetables. ``I enjoy being outdoors. Before I moved here, I always had a garden. I like eating what I grow, too.''
For Gross and about 20 other fellow residents, having the raised planters to tend has given them ``a new lease on life.''
``It's been a tremendous success,'' noted Gretchen Rockwell, recreation director for the facility. ``It's really given the residents something they can relate to. Mrs. Gross used to not be involved in anything. But now, she's out here all the time, weeding and watering and picking the vegetables. It's given her a real sense of accomplishment.''
With some $5,000 in funds raised by hospital volunteers, staff built the 2-foot-high wooden structure in one of the hospital's central courtyards last winter. Tools specially adapted for handicapped gardeners were also purchased.
Marie Hogge, a horticulture student at Tidewater Community College, served as a consultant on the project, advising therapists on bed preparation, plant selection and mulching procedures.
In April, the residents began planting cucumbers, okra, snap beans, radishes and eggplants as well as an array of their favorite flowers. Throughout the spring and into the summer, the gardening club watered, weeded and nurtured the beds with the care of doting parents.
``It's better than sitting inside and looking at the four walls,'' said another resident gardener, 80-year-old Mary Davis. ``I was raised in the country and I always helped on the farm when I was a young girl. This is a lot of fun to me.''
It was also fun reaping the bountiful harvest. As the beans, okra and other vegetables ripened, the gardeners turned them over to hospital staff to cook - with a few words of advice.
``They really educated us about the right way to cook the vegetables,'' noted Robin DiRito, a recreation specialist.
Although the gardening club had maintained indoor terrariums and small containers of vegetables for years, the new outdoor garden has given them a morale boost like nothing else has, noted staff members.
``It's just blossomed,'' noted DiRito. ``They just like getting outdoors. And this is a life skill they can still do. It's perfect for them.''
Watching residents so enthusiastic about the project has been rewarding for the staff, too.
``It's been really neat to see these women sitting around snapping beans like they've done all their lives,'' noted Judy Laster, marketing director. ``It's just very inspiring.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Resident Edna Gross, left, and Gretchen Rockwell pick vegetables
from the garden at Lake Taylor Hospital. by CNB