For LaRocque, that included the love of a cousin who introduced him to a new pastime: gardening. Together, along with LaRocque’s sons, they built five raised garden beds that granted him comfortable access from his wheelchair. “I couldn’t reach the garden in the ground so I brought the garden up to me! I realized that others would enjoy the same if only a product existed,” he explained. So, in 2008, LaRocque turned his avocation into an unexpected and impactful vocation by founding Accessible Gardens, a Rhode Island based company producing versatile and affordable raised garden beds to benefit people of all ages with various physical limitations.

“Our mission is to enable every individual with a physical disability or limitation to enjoy the mental, physical, social and spiritual benefits of gardening,” said LaRocque, noting that his client base is widespread from children to seniors with minor mobility restrictions to paralysis. Multiple research studies indicate that gardening can reduce stress and depression symptoms, while boosting muscle strength, mental clarity and a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, food gardeners who increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables may also reap the benefits of a decreased waistline and lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Constructed from rot-resistant redwood and red cedar materials, Accessible Gardens offers an assortment of precision-engineered products that are ergonomically designed for wheelchairs, walkers and standing access. Orders are customized to meet height and size requests with feature options such as drainage, tool box storage, arm rests and trellises. Accessible Gardens recently launched its newest product: the Indoor/Outdoor Rolling Garden equipped with wheels. Its unique portability makes gardening conveniently accessible ─ even on rainy days ─ with the added freedom to switch up garden
configuration.

Novice to gardening? No worries! Accessible Gardens can recommend types of vegetables or herbs and soil, and offer insight into seed spacing, watering and more. Accessible Gardens is committed to cultivating ideal horticulture experiences both in private residences’ and communal settings, such as assisted living facilities, hospitals & rehabilitation centers, memory care communities, municipal housing authorities, parks & playgrounds, retirement communities, senior centers, schools, skilled nursing homes and veterans’ homes & centers.

Products do not require any special site preparations and arrive within days of ordering with simple set up. Prices vary depending on customization from $400-$1000. To gain a better understanding of the benefits of gardening and the gardening possibilities that await, contact Accessible Gardens at (401) 290-7870 or accessiblegardens@cox.net or visit AccessibleGardens.com.

As for his “retirement,” in addition to gardening, LaRocque hits the golf course with adaptive clubs. Plus, he gets to work with his California-based sons who oversee one of Accessible Gardens’ three manufacturing facilities (the others are in Rhode Island and Canada). LaRocque’s second career as an entrepreneur has not only permeated his life with joy but has filled an important gap to benefit people all over the world!

Nancy DeVault is an Orlando area freelance writer, editor and PR pro. She is passionate about fitness, the outdoors, news, travel and baby snuggles.

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There are several ways to make gardens more accessible.  For example, there are container gardens as well as elevated garden beds. When researching accessible gardens, the first item to pop up was Accessible Gardens, a site dedicated to making gardening easier for everyone!

“Our Mission…is to enable every individual with a physical disability or limitation to enjoy the mental, physical, social and spiritual benefits of gardening.”

The founder of Accessible Gardens™, Raymond LaRocque, stated: “I could no longer reach down to my garden so I brought the garden up to me!”  The website offers several different styles of raised gardens. The traditional raised garden bed is often contained within a walled perimeter built on ground level. The Accessible Gardens™ raised garden bed is “elevated to table height, with ample clearance for wheelchairs or walkers. It puts the entire garden within arm’s reach with no kneeling or bending required.” If you want ideas on how to create your own raised garden, this site is for you!

Click here for more information or to request pricing for Accessible Gardens™.

Written by Laura Medcalf

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Garden Designer Shirley Bovshow shows you everything you need to know about accessible gardening. These tips are great for any gardening fans who also have limited mobility. In this segment Shirley shows some of the best products available to make sure everyone can enjoy the fruits of their own garden.

Courtesy: Hallmark Channel

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“Sometimes the patients become bored with our regular exercise programs and walking indoors. In the courtyard, we’re able to do the same exercises in a more stimulating manner,” said Julie Johnson, Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant. “The garden invites them out to the courtyard. They will often venture out just to see what’s sprung up.”

Tonya Smith, Rehabilitation Therapy adds “We have patients who may be suffering from dementia or other brain injuries who don’t even appear to recognize the gardens. But when you put a garden hose in their hands, they somehow know what to do.”

Some research suggests that Horticulture Therapy is catching on in long-term care settings for a number of reasons. Tending to plants decreases anxiety and blood pressure, helps maintain motor skills, and gives patients a sense of purpose. A growing numbers of experts say activity, like gardening, is transforming the lives of people with illness.

The unit has two special areas dedicated to this project. In their main courtyard they have three raised beds for wheelchair users and standing gardeners. These accessible beds are long and narrow, so wheelchair users can easily reach and work the plants. On the patio they have different size planters that can be lifted without difficulty to a table. Specialized tools are also utilized so that gardening can be fun and effortless. The courtyard has several tables with umbrellas for shade as well as benches and swings strategically placed to watch blooming flowers or simply rest in a nice area.

The other garden is cleverly placed between their large dayroom and a quiet room. Individuals can sit in either location and look out at a garden filled with birds, squirrels, bunnies, various flowers, and ceramic sculptures that they have created in groups. Julia noted that on one recent day “20 geese and goslings were counted in the garden.” This area is maintained by the efforts of patient volunteers within vocational rehabilitation, employees working grounds in Physical Plant and Treatment Mall staff.

Patients can also wander into the quiet room where it is often filled with the relaxing sounds of running water and nature. The walls are covered with murals of birds, trees, and encouraging words. This peaceful, interactive environment is another example of the active and expressive therapies available to patients.

Everyone Should Hear
Newsletter of the Evansville State Hospital
Evansville, Indiana
by Tonya Smith

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The Eagle Scout Project consists of installing handicapped accessible vegetable gardens and flower beds benefiting the current and future Life Skills students attending BJHS. The Life Skills students are those who are wheelchair-bound or have other disabilities. These beds will be useful in teaching the students gardening and cooking skills by enabling them to plant and maintain the gardens and to cook the harvested produce. The garden will also provide a pleasant outdoor environment in which to learn.

The gardens will be installed in an area at the Junior High already designated for the Life Skills students. The beds will be constructed:
• In compliance with ADA specifications.
• Of naturally rot-resistant red cedar with a life span of greater than 20 yrs.
• Using a specially designed water drainage system.
• Using appropriate irrigation.
• Using red cedar trellises for climbing plants.

A mixture of garden soil and compost will be added to the beds, along with vegetable plants and flowers appropriate for summer planting. The area surrounding the beds will be covered with granite gravel enclosed by metal edging. The granite gravel will accommodate the movement of wheelchairs.

If funds permit, Paul will also install a handicapped accessible picnic table, and a small greenhouse that can be used not only by the Life Skills students, but also by the science teachers to teach plant biology.

The project is set to begin the second week in July, 2013, and set to finish by the start of school in August. Paul will be assisted by other Scouts in Troop 36, along with Scoutmaster Mr. Kenneth Thuesen, Assistant Scoutmaster Mr. Allen Kutch, and his parents, David and Leah Cessna. The project coach is BJHS Science teacher and landscape designer, Mrs. Jane Ponder.

The community is invited to join Paul and his fellow Scouts for a fundraising pancake and sausage breakfast at First Baptist Church in Bellville on Saturday, April 27. At this breakfast, the blue prints and specifications of Paul’s design will be available for review, and he will be able to answer any questions you may have.

The cost of this breakfast is a free-will offering and 100% of your donation will be used specifically for this Eagle Scout project. Should there be funds raised in excess of the amount needed to complete the project, the excess will be presented as a donation from the community to Mrs. Natalie Jones, principal of BJHS, for use by the Life Skills teacher for any needs to assist these special students.

Questions or comments, email Paul at: pecessna@yahoo.com or call 979-992-2845.

Bellville Junior High School
1305 S Tesch Street
Bellville, TX 77418

Andrew and volunteer scouts participate in their Accessible Gardens build.

Honored Eagle Scout, Andrew Lukas

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There are numerous articles on the emotional as well as the physical benefits of gardening. A wise person once said; “to nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but also the soul.” Gardening has proven therapeutic for people with depression and even Alzheimer’s dementia. However, anyone who has a garden will tell you that although their psyche might feel uplifted after a day tilling the soil, their body aches.

I am considered “able-bodied” and have noticed with each passing year it becomes more difficult to spend as much concentrated time digging, stooping, kneeling and hauling. I wondered if something existed to help people with physical disabilities enjoy working the soil and grow a garden. Perhaps, I too would benefit from incorporating more accessibility functionality into my gardening. It would certainly help me to continue doing what I love well into my later years, especially if I develop age-related physical impairments. This led me on a quest to see what’s available.

Sometimes the simplest ideas yield the most remarkable solutions. Just ask Raymond LaRoque, a gardening enthusiast who refused to let a cane and, eventually, a wheelchair deprive him of his passion for gardening. After a spinal cord injury took him out of a career in sales, a friend who knew of his interest in gardening built him a box on stilts and filled it with dirt. With a garden on stilts, the soil was at a level he could reach and work with. He was able to grow an assortment of vegetables like peas, beans, eggplant, basil, and tomatoes to name a few. His excitement grew along with his garden. When he did some research, he found there was nothing suitable in the market that allowed gardening in the manner he had adopted. As a result of his ingenuity, Accessible Gardens™ was born.

Contrary to the traditional garden built at ground level, or the typical raised garden bed contained within a walled perimeter built on ground level, the sturdy Accessible Gardens™ raised garden bed is elevated to table height, with ample clearance for wheelchairs or walkers. It puts the entire garden within arm’s reach with no kneeling or bending required. The garden area is large enough to grow an assortment of vegetables, herbs and a variety of edible and decorative flowers. Beyond that practical aspect of having a garden at table height LaRoque says, “Our Mission…is to enable every individual with a physical disability or limitation to enjoy the mental, physical, social and spiritual benefits of gardening.”

Susan M. Murray is on the Editorial Board of “Disability Issues”, a retired health care consultant and a Certified Master Gardener.

Disability Issues
Spaulding Hospital Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
by Susan Murray

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Poor diet and lack of exercise are major contributors to increased mortality and morbidity among older adults, according to researchers from Texas A&M and Texas State University. In a survey of nearly 300 adults age 50 and over, respondents who spent time gardening were more likely to be energetic, healthy and optimistic about the future. Of those who garden, 84% said they had made plans for things they will be doing in one month or one year, while only 68% of non-gardeners had made similar plans. When asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement “I feel old and tired,” 70.9% of gardeners disagreed, while only 54.3% of non-gardeners disagreed.

Older adults who garden also reported significantly better eating habits, consuming more fruits and vegetables than those who did not, according to researchers. These findings indicate that “gardening intervention programs late in life would be an effective method of boosting vegetable and fruit consumption in older adults,” researchers say. Their study appears in the most recent edition of the journal HortTechnology.

McKnights.com

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Director Susan Misto Hebert and activity director Gerry McVeigh, along with their dedicated staff, do their best to live that credo 24/7. Both say that Westerly is a tight-knit community. “We’re right on the Rhode Island-Connecticut border, so we draw from both states,” Susan explains. “Most often, people know other residents when they come here, so they feel more comfortable.”

One source of activity enjoyment for many residents in various ways comes from a wheelchair-accessible flower and vegetable garden. It was started by a volunteer, Ray LaRocque, who is himself in a wheelchair, so he understands what is needed. He has, in fact, started a business of selling cost-effective, pressure-treated lumber units for accessible garden beds.

“The residents absolutely love it,” Gerry says, and so do the staff and family members. “The raised beds are in a closed courtyard, so many residents can see the garden beds from their rooms. Some like to plant tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, beans and various lettuces and tend them. Plus, on a trellis, they plant morning glories and watch them climb.”

Plus, she and Susan point out, the courtyard has created a social atmosphere, as many residents like to sit out there to visit or to eat their lunch outside. “I can’t tell you how much this whole concept has meant to the Westerly residents,” Gerry says.

Creating Together Journal
Ankney, Iowa
by Carol McGarvey

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The raised beds were installed about a month ago by Raymond LaRocque, founder of “Accessible Gardens.” Wheelchair-bound, he knew others in wheelchairs would have only limited access to a conventional garden.

“I could no longer reach down to my garden, so I brought the garden up to me,” says his brochure. His mission: “to enable every individual with a physical disability or limitation to enjoy the mental, physical and spiritual benefits of gardening.”

Whatever the benefits, an accessible garden has been very welcome at Morgan. While the framework for the raised gardens – which come partially assembled – were being put together, residents with windows overlooking the facility’s backyard peeked out, eager to see what was going on. The modular pieces can be assembled in a variety of configurations; Morgan purchased enough to create two gardens, with a trellis in between.

Residents in wheelchairs can pull up to the side of the gardens, with the chair sliding underneath. The top edges of the wood are covered in soft padding to prevent splinters and abraisons.

“What’s really good is that the animals don’t get into it,” said Activities Director Tammy Barone.

Since the site opens out to a wooded area, the residents often see deer, woodchucks, rabbits and wild turkeys. A hummingbird has been spotted at a new hanging birdfeeder and several cardinals frequent other feeders.

The enlarged patio, now more inviting than ever with its vegetable gardens and planters, has enticed more residents to sit outdoors on nice days.

“It’s good therapy for them, it’s been drawing people out of the building,” Barone said, admitting this will be her first garden.

From his wheelchair, resident Guido Sullo, formerly of western Cranston, has been actively caring for the garden since the project was complete, working with activities aide Joanne Chevalier, an employee at Morgan for 18 years. Also a resident of Cranston, Chevalier had previously owned a florist shop, and is known for having a “green thumb.” She has also had a garden for more than 20 years.

The vegetable plants, now mostly still in the flowering stage, include peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and basil.

They also planted mandevilla, a flowering vine, which will be trained to grow over the central trellis.

“The best part is when they start producing, all your hard work – that’s when you appreciate it,” said Sullo as he raked through the soil.

He checks the garden daily, making sure the soil is draining after recent rain.

“They’re very protective of the garden,” said Barone.

A sign has been erected to warn young visitors. It reads, “Please keep in mind I’m here for show, otherwise how am I supposed to grow?”

Nearby, three gentlemen, also in wheelchairs, recall gardens from their younger days.

“I’d eat a tomato just like an apple,” said Alfonso LaFazia, 86, a Johnston native. “My mother used to preserve them – she’d crush the dried basil and add it to the macaroni gravy.”

Former North Providence resident Philip DeVito, who lives at Morgan with his wife, Mary, recalled growing cucumbers and squash.

“You’d get the flower, batter and fry it,” he recalled. “We had loads of tomatoes – we’d share with the neighbors.”

Others discussed the best types of manure to use on the garden.

As a result of recent improvements and renovations, the facility has been awarded a “First Step” National Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, which will be presented at the group’s 60th annual convention and expo, to be held in Chicago in October.

Cranston Herald (RI) & Johnston Sun Rise (RI)
by Beth Hurd

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“It makes me feel closer to God,” he says with a beaming smile.

For Mike and many like him, however, the physical limitations that come with age, injury or illness threaten to strip them of the simple pleasure gardening provides. But thanks to Ray LaRocque, a Westerly resident confined to a wheelchair, nursing home residents like Mike can continue to enjoy their passion for gardening.

Accessible Gardens™ is a gardening solution for people with disabilities and physical restrictions developed by LaRocque five years ago. Having suffered a spinal cord injury, he didn’t have the range of motion necessary for bending down in the garden. Not one to be easily discouraged, LaRocque’s solution was bringing the garden up to him.

While raised garden beds were not hard to find, he was unable to find any that really accommodated the needs of those in a wheelchair. From that realization came the idea to design a raised bed that allowed a wheelchair to fit underneath it so that the plants could be reached comfortably and thus, Accessible Gardens™ was born.

It wasn’t until a chance meeting with nursing home Activity Director Gerry McVeigh that LaRocque and his Accessible Gardens™ partner, craftsman Leon Tunnicliff, began to see an expanded audience for the Accessible Gardens™ concept.

McVeigh pointed out that their product could be used by hundreds of nursing home residents who, though not confined to a wheelchair, had physical impairments that curtailed their ability to garden. She introduced the concept to her employer, who put it in place for residents to use. Right after that McVeigh moved to her present job at Westerly Health Center and started working to get the gardens there.

“I wasn’t about to give up on the dream of having them for my residents,” she said. Since then, LaRocque and Tunicliff have placed Accessible Gardens™ in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement centers throughout Southern Rhode Island.

McVeigh understood what horticultural therapists know all too well. There are numerous psychological and rehabilitative benefits to gardening, especially for special populations like the elderly. Nursing home residents in particular, whose physical impairments often place them in a dependent position, can find a sense of purpose through gardening; becoming the caretaker instead of the one in need.

The gardens can alleviate feelings of isolation, as they often become social centers enjoyed by residents, families and staff alike. On the rehabilitative side, gardening has occupational and physical therapy benefits, helping to enhance fine and large motor skills.

“The gardens enhance a person’s standing and balance, even fine dexterity skills. It all comes into play,” explained Lynn Larson, a therapist and co-worker of McVeigh.

Some skilled nursing centers, like Elmhurst Extended Care in Providence, operate as “Eden Alternative” homes, whose mission formally recognizes the importance of caring for plants and animals to alleviate loneliness and helplessness in nursing homes.

Eden Alternative homes are at the forefront of the culture change movement, a movement in nursing home care focused on resident-centered care, not institutional care. For the past several years, the concepts of the culture change movement have been sweeping through the long-term care profession and ideas like Accessible Gardens™ are fast becoming commonplace.

The benefits to nursing home residents never entered Ray LaRocque’s mind when designing his first raised garden, but seeing the enjoyment his creation has given residents like Mike Cafone has been the icing on the cake.

PrimeTime Seniors Magazine
Providence, Rhode Island
by Kerry Park

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