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Horticultural therapist provides healing through gardening

Sally Cobb uses plants and gardening to improve the mental and physical health of patients who are nearing the end of life.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sally Cobb has been an avid gardener for most of her life and for the past 20 years she’s been able to share the gift of gardening with others through horticultural therapy.

“So, a horticultural therapist uses nature to achieve a certain goal and in this setting of hospice, our goal is to improve quality of life,” Cobb said.

Cobb maintains several of the gardens at AuthoraCare Collective in Greensboro.

She uses plants and gardening to improve the mental and physical health of patients who are nearing the end of life.

Her favorite activity is using her sensory basket.

“We can cut all the flowers and plants that go into the sensory basket from our gardens,” Cobb explained.

“We have things with different textures, smells, some drama. It helps to distract the patient from their illness. It brings back memories of their gardens if they had gardens when they were younger.”

She said this therapy helps patients gain a sense of control.

“My goal is not to do something for the patient,” Cobb said.

“Not to bring in a vase of flowers, but to bring in a bucket of flowers and say ‘I have some flowers today. Would you like to make a vase for yourself?’ Then they become involved and in a short time they become distracted from their illness.”

Volunteers like Carl Wilson find comfort in the gardens too.

His mother was a patient at an AuthoraCare Collective facility in October of 2020.

“I find it therapeutic,” Wilson said.

“It helps me bring some closure to my mother’s death and I just love being outside. I discovered the gardens brought me comfort and after my mother passed, and I was laid off from my job of 20 plus years. I decided to come back and put in some volunteer hours. Hoping that my efforts would create a place of respite and comfort for other families of patients.”

In addition to working with adults, AuthoraCare Collective also provides services for children through its Kids Path program.

Children in the program have an opportunity to work in the gardens to cope with grief and loss.

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