Garden To Table Program At Regal Heights Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center: A Great Recipe For Wellbeing

July 10, 2017. Hockessin, Delaware. Kicking off Regal Heights’ Garden to Table Program early in the spring, Residents and staff alike were all abuzz – clearly this was more than an eager goodbye to the winter. The subacute rehabilitation and long-term care center is ensuring its Residents reap the full benefits of their innovative Garden to Table Program.

Recognized in Delaware and neighboring Pennsylvania for its expert post-acute services, dynamic staff, and the array of luxurious comforts and amenities it offers, Regal Heights Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center welcomed back, for the second consecutive year, Thomas McKean High School students in the FFA Volunteer Program, all of them enthusiastic about gardening – and forging relationships with the Residents.

“To say that our Residents are enjoying a delightful spring would be an understatement,” says Kristen Perrone, Administrator at Regal Heights, adding that “bringing their distinctive energy, these amazing teens have a great time planting with our Residents, connecting with them and uplifting everyone with their bona fide smiles!”

Evidently, growing edibles takes some work – but the effort spent is returned to the Residents in many different ways: gardening has been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and decrease depression. Indeed, mounting evidence indicates that gardening benefits mind, body and soul.

“The cultivating process itself is priceless,” says Perrone. “From the interaction amongst our Residents, their connection with the younger generation, the delight in the fresh spring air and the sense of purpose it brings to everyone involved, this relaxing activity fills our Residents with purpose and anticipation.

And yet … there’s nothing like taking delight in the first homegrown strawberries. Ready to eat four to six weeks after planting, the Residents were elated to see their first crop – and gratified that the first harvest of the season was going straight to the Regal Heights’ cooking club!

Relishing the opportunity to contribute to the cooking club, and share the fresh strawberries with peers and staff alike, the Residents took delight in a splendid breakfast of Belgian Waffles – literally savoring “the fruits of their labor”.

A proud member of Nationwide Healthcare Services, Regal Heights Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center is a subacute care and skilled nursing facility providing the community with an array of specialized programs that include Wound Care and Pulmonary Care, as well as intensive daily Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies. For more information and to schedule a tour, please visit regalheightshealthcare.com or contact Meg Judson, Director of Business Development at Nationwide Healthcare Services at mjudson@nationwidehealthcare.com