Veggie growers helping elderly

from NZ Herald - Plus Feature May 2022

by NZME.

Getting through winter

Veggie growers helping elderly ByRuby Harfield

An initiative ehas been set up to co onnect gardenerswith extra produce to elderly people runable grow their own fruit and vegetables. Julie Lamplugh, from Rangiora in Canterbury, set up The SEDE Project after seeing her elderlyparents’ delightedreaction ns when she was giv ving themvegetablesf from her garden over summ mer.

“They alwaysh hada thriving vegetablegarden (as well asfruit trees,berries and grapes) in thepast, but are no longer able tolook aftera garden.

“Seeing their pleasure at receiving fresh produce made me think about howother home gardenerscould do the same and thus helpso many elderly people in the same position as my parents.”

Around the same time as shewas thinking this over, shereada newspaper article about an elderly man in Christchurch whowas skipping luncheach day dueto affordability issues.

“Hisstory really bothered me, andI realised I should implement what I’dbeen thinking about, as there was potentially so much unmet andgenuine need amongst pensioners in our communities.

“I havea strong interest in getting involved incommunityinitiatives that involvelocal people helping local people, I’m a keen home gardener, andI have elderlyparents who require a lotof help now, so everything about The SEDE Project is closetomy heart and relatable.”

Lamplugh hopes it will ensure elderly peopleget adequatenutrition in their diet as thecostof fruit and vegetables is prohibitively high.

There’s also no loss of pridefor the elderly recipients, as it is framed asa means of effectivelyusing up home-grown surplus.

“The elderlyresidents in thecommunityfeel dseen, supportedandrespected, and itfo rs ister nteractions/ tween them andlinks bet members of the lb ocal mcommunity, which benefits mental ealth.he “Our elders d deserve this.” Local ardeners cang ther beei paired upone-to-one hwitha pensioner (for the passing on of producetothe pensioner twhenever itis available), orgardeners ncanmake one-off donationsdonationsofofproduceproducevia a contactvi person (pensioner) who distributes it amongst a group of elderly residents nearby (living in the same block ofretirement units,for example).

The project is still in theearlystages with an increasing amount ofconnections being made betweengardeners and pensioners.

“I’m aimingtoset up more of these as more gardeners andkeen potentialrecipients contact me askingfor this.

“It’s a simple andeasyway for people in the communitytohelpothers.”

She hopes the project willexpandtoother areas in thecountry too.

“Witheach newgardener whocontactsme, or person froma local organisation offering support/suggestions, or pensioner whowants tobea recipient, it reinforces that The SEDE Project is genuinelya good idea that is worth pursuing.

“That is so encouraging and motivates me to keep movingforward.”

Homegardenerscould even plantoplant a littleextra in the future with the intention of giving surplus produce to pensioners, she said.

“There’s no wastageof precious homegrown produce, with the surplusgoingto a worthwhilecause.”

Visit The Sede Project Facebookpagefor more information. A selection of fresh produce. INSET: Rangiora woman Julie Lamplugh has set up The SEDE Project to help elderly peopleget freshvegetables. Photos/Supplied

A guide to great downsizing

80yo couple in Bupa retirement village are downsizing masters.

It’s the piano that Glenys Lamb remembers – her old Bechstein that she gave away to a young girl who wanted to learn.

Glenys, now 84, and husband John, 87, began their preparations for moving out of their home of 51 years well before moving into a two-bedroom apartment in Bupa Parkstone retirement village in Christchurch.

While giving away the piano hurt, the Lambs’ downsizing and move into a retirement village serves as an absolute model for the many older Kiwis contemplating the same thing –and Glenys, almost two years later, is bursting with pride at the piano’s new life…and their own.

“We are so very happy,” she says. “Bupa Parkstone is great – we have done the right thing.” And it looks like they did it the right way too.

“We had too much to fit into a two-bedroom apartment,” she says. “A friend of ours knew a family whose daughter wanted a piano.” One of the Lambs’ three children, nine grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren wanted the piano too –but their house couldn’t accommodate it.

“I wanted it to go to someone who could use it. Since then I’ve seen a photograph of the young girl playing; it was really quite moving. ”

Giving away furniture and other belongings is part of a successful downsize, the couple say. John, a former civil engineer and high-ranking official in local government, is nothing if not methodical – and the Lambs say forward planning and proactivity are key.

John began the exercise of downsizing even as they were selling their family home and says a vital element in downsizing is to involve the family early: “Our home was their family home – and they had to realise they would not be going there any more for family occasions and the like,” says John. “It was hard for them at first, especially as I’d been saying I wouldn’t move.”

The Lambs were in the fortunate position of being able to give a lot of their possessions away, much of it going to the Salvation Army. They know not everyone can do the same and say involving family early helps with selling things, for example.

“Don’t over-value your possessions, ” says John “It hurt a bit at first when we realised others may not value some things as highly as we did – but, in the end, they really aren’t worth much on the market. That’s why we felt so good later after giving things away.”

The couple also understands they were especially lucky – their Bupa apartment is about 600m from their old house, avoiding a move to a new area, away from family, friends and familiar landmarks.

So here are the Lambs’ top tips for downsizing and moving into a retirement village: • Pack things up as you go and store the boxes in areas of the house that do not affect daily living and comfort. • Involve family early in the practical but emotional task of deciding what to do with family “heirlooms” and less significant items. • Select a trusted mover and insist on using smaller boxes rather than the big, heavy ones movers traditionally use – it’s easier when unpacking. • Don’t forget insurance – those travelling longer distances shouldn’t forget to insure their belongings for the shift.

“I’ve got to say that I was determined not to move at first,” says John. “But when I saw the Bupa apartment – a view, a large lounge and two bedrooms – I was won over. ”

“I was sold from the beginning,” says Glenys. “However, once you’re in, you need to get out there, make friends and do things – and there is plenty to do.

“And don’t leave it too late [to move into a village] ,” she says. “There’s a whole world of things to do; that’s what we have done and we are very, very happy.”

Being you with Bupa is easy when you’re living in a friendly community of like-minded people, supported by a caring and approachable team. We have 53 locations across New Zealand. The majority of our 37 retirement villages have a care home on site or nearby. We have 16 additional standalone care homes. With these retirement living and care options, Bupa offers you the life that’s right for you.

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