Galveston, Texas… Plants thrive with the help of Mozart, and people can thrive with the help of plants. What better place to find plants of all varieties than at the non-profit educational, tourist destination, Moody Gardens®, which features a massive greenhouse and Rainforest Pyramid®. Through the Moody Gardens® Hope Therapy program, participants learn first hand the benefits of Horticultural Therapy.
Horticultural therapy is the process of using gardening to assist individuals or groups with physical, psychological, learning and cognitive disabilities. This unique therapy enhances clients’ nurturing and care-taking skills through the experience of plant life cycles and learning how to care for gardens. Improved blood pressure, balance and self-expression, as well as increased endurance are just a few of the many goals that can be achieved through the therapy.
All phases of gardening from planting seeds, to pruning climbing roses, to cooking the vegetables from the garden, to managing a compost pile are included in Horticulture Therapy. Raised flowerbeds and ponds provide those in wheelchairs the same gardening opportunities as others, and hanging baskets are made accessible through pulley-systems.
In addition, Moody Gardens® offers Supported Employment. This vocational training gives individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn the skills needed to obtain and maintain a job. The varieties of tasks needed for the production greenhouse are matched with an employee who has been taught the skills necessary to complete it. A vocation provides identity, self-support, self worth, pride and independence therefore, Moody Gardens® employs many of these individuals on a full or part-time basis with job coaching provided as needed.
The community can also benefit from the horticultural therapy program. The production greenhouse welcomes people enrolled in a senior volunteer program, a women’s drug and alcohol recovery program and with the “Life Skills” class from Ball High School on Galveston Island.
Moody Gardens® is a public, non-profit, educational destination utilizing nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.
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