Everyone should #HaveAHouseplant
Everyone should have a houseplant at home as research has revealed plants provide a range of health benefits (July 2020).
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) research found that indoor plants can improve air quality by trapping and capturing pollutants and those who have limited or no access to the outdoors can still have something to nurture.
People in this country are big lovers of houseplants. They have become particularly popular with millennials, who said, in research carried out by Spare Room, that they buy houseplants to have something to nurture, love and care for.
This became extremely apparent during the recent pandemic, when people turned to gardening and houseplants to help them during these uncertain times. They gave and give people something to focus on and we think this is something that should continue as restrictions ease.
We feel elderly, vulnerable and lonely people would benefit from having pot plants, if they don’t already, as having one could give them something to look after and focus on. Despite restrictions easing, many of our service users still can’t get outside easily, so having plants inside could be extremely beneficial for them, as they can help people de-stress and can filter out chemicals from the atmosphere. They improve air quality, relax and revive you mentally and physically, and can help reduce dust, which saves on the housework too.
The right indoor plants could even reduce people’s susceptibility to allergies, asthma, fatigue, headaches and respiratory congestion according to the experts.
Weeping fig, spider plant, peace lily, chrysanthemum, gerbera and parlour palm are just a handful of the varieties that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tests revealed as the best for removing chemical toxins like formaldehyde, which can be emitted from sources such as household adhesives, fabrics, tissues and upholstery.
We’ve started the hashtag #HaveAHouseplant on our social media channels and are encouraging people to share their photos of themselves with their houseplants. We’ll also be posting pictures of our service users and carers with theirs, and images of some of our favourite indoor plants too. You can find us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/Yn4zmS or on Twitter @visitabacare.
The health and wellbeing of our service users is our number one priority and, aside from physical care, we are always trying to find new ways to help them emotionally. Anything that can brighten up our service users’ days is worth a go, so that’s why we’ll be encouraging them to bring the natural world indoors with houseplants. We’re keen to point out though that anyone allergic to pollen should select a foliage only plant.
