Summer is in full bloom at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) senior housing residences. Resident gardeners, along with LSSI staff and family members at Gable Point Senior Housing, Crystal Lake, and Immanuel Senior Residences, Danville, are seeing results of the raised gardens they launched this spring, featuring lush flowerbeds, vegetables, herbs, fruit, and other plants.
The experience benefits participants’ quality of life, according to Angelique Chattergoon, a Social Service Coordinator at Gable Point. “We wanted to expand resident engagement and create additional opportunities for outdoor activity, connection, and meaningful participation,” she said. “For many, gardening gives them a sense of purpose, physical activity, and the satisfaction of harvesting and sharing.”
Some participants appreciate the independence gardening provides. “I enjoy the responsibility of tending a garden on my own,” said Gable Point resident Jean. “Gardening relaxes me, and I love planting seeds, nurturing them, and watching them grow.”
Others value the memories and connections it fosters. Jason Lucas, a Social Service Coordinator at Immanuel Senior Residences, said the community’s “master resident gardener,” Thomas, enjoys how tending the garden connects him to his childhood. “I love tending to the garden because I enjoy being outside,” said Thomas. “It also reminds me of a garden we had growing up.”
Olivia, a resident at Gable Point, agrees. “Gardening reminds me of my father, who was a landscaper,” she said. Similarly, Sue cherishes the memories it brings back. “My busha (grandmother) had a farm and those memories inspired my love of gardening,” she said. “Although I am mobile, I believe gardening is a wonderful activity for residents who cannot get around as well as they would like.”
“Beyond the harvest, the gardens have become a source of friendship, generosity, and pride while strengthening residents’ connections to one another and the broader community,” said Chattergoon.
In addition to gardening and other activities, social service coordinators at LSSI senior housing sites help residents build friendships and access resources such as Medicare, Social Security, and transportation services.
caption: Angelique Chattergoon (in black), a Social Service Coordinator at Gable Point Senior Housing, with resident gardeners.
