- Medical evidence shows horticulture provides physical, neurological, cognitive and psychological rehabilitation, testing patients’ motor skills, plus their strength and endurance.
“What have seeds got to do with the recovery of patients?” A hasty observer may ask. But not so with the Ministry of Defence who have since discovered the ‘Balm of Gilead’ in horticulture – healing potency in seeds, and despite the mindless cuts in heir budgets by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition Government are doing all they can to plant the seeds of recovery, better still, ‘seeds of life’ at Headley Court after the launch of a new gardening project to provide occupational therapy for personnel recovering at the Ministry of Defence Rehabilitation Centre.
Medical evidence shows horticulture provides physical, neurological, cognitive and psychological rehabilitation, testing patients’ motor skills, plus their strength and endurance.
Vigilance learnt the newly-refurbished greenhouse and allotment area will challenge patients with complex poly-traumatic injuries. They will have to overcome the challenges of working at different heights, standing on varying slopes and surfaces, as well as lifting and moving objects.
Sources at the MoD said the gardening tasks will also provide cognitive therapy for troops, with medical evidence suggesting that being in an outdoor environment reduces stress, leading to improved concentration and it helps individuals think through their problems or concerns.
One of the soldiers at Headley Court, Captain Andrew Jelinek, from the Household Cavalry, is said to be looking forward to getting stuck in. Capt Jelinek was injured in Afghanistan in 2010 and suffered a fractured pelvis and spinal cord injury: “Horticultural Therapy offers us, the patients, the opportunity to partake in a fulfilling activity and one which is also very relevant to our rehab, whatever our injuries. For me, this project will help me regain strength and mobility in my back and legs. It will also test my balance and endurance. I find the outdoors a very relaxing and fulfilling place to be, so the time passes quickly and I feel better for it.”
Whilst Major Peter Le Feuvre, a physiotherapist at Headley Court and a keen gardener himself echoed: “At Headley Court we are developing our own little Chelsea flower garden by encouraging rehabilitation through horticultural therapy. We’ve put down the roots to encourage patients to experience different activities, which all aids the rehabilitation from their injuries. The addition of the allotment will compliment the greenhouses. We are linking these to our woodwork shop so injured personnel can embark on building outdoor structures and planters, as well as propagating and planting out.”
Adding: “The WalledGarden project will let recovering troops acquire and develop their skills. If required it will also enable them to explore vocational options for the future. By varying the rehabilitation methods used at Headley Court, patients are kept stimulated and focused on their goals on the path to recovery.”
The greenhouses are said to have been refurbished with the help of Leatherhead-based charity the Queen Elizabeth Foundation, which provides intensive vocational rehabilitation for unemployed disabled adults experiencing multiple barriers to work.
Garry Billing, Director of Vocational Services at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation, recounted: “Our association with Headley Court goes back several years and many former patients have been helped by the Foundation when they are ready to retrain and prepare themselves for sustained employment.
According to Billing the garden is not only providing therapies for the personnel, but “We quickly recognised the WalledGarden project presented a wonderful opportunity for our Horticulture and Construction trainees to gain valuable work experience. Some of the trainees involved are themselves former service personnel, having arrived via Headley Court or Combat Stress. They have found it particularly rewarding that, through their work, they are giving something back to the services.
“Now the greenhouses have been completed, we are all looking forward to lending a helping hand in the creation of allotments and a fruit growing area within the WalledGarden.”