By Lorrie Harrison

Director of the Lopez Hamlet Cottages

Residents at Hamlet House have their hands in the dirt this spring.

Their new, elevated cedar planter boxes were designed for people who could otherwise not partake in the pleasures of puttering. If you use a wheelchair, cane or walker, or have a full-time need for supplementary oxygen, kneeing down to garden is physically impossible.

“As people age, abilities naturally decline. When I sat with our residents and asked what they missed the most, they all said gardening,” says Hamlet House Administrator Nichelle Sorenson.

“That planted the seed,” she laughs, the pun obviously intended. “Gardening means being outdoors, connecting with nature, staying active, being productive. All of our six residents are over 86, three are over 90, so finding a way to tap into all of that was great.”

Their first step was planting seeds to get the starts going.

“It was fun to watch,” she says. “Everybody checked the windowsill each day to see if the seeds were spouting. Six Lapham’s zinnias were the first to come up. After that, the race was on! Whose seeds would be next?” It took a month for the starts to be ready to plant.

In the meanwhile, Nichelle’s husband Richard donated his time to build planters, designing them for people using wheelchairs, walkers or standing. A few phone calls were made: Ken Rose donated a yard of Skagit Valley top soil and Brett Stewart brought over three sets of garden tools plus gloves, spades and hand rakes.

“Many of our activities are designed to enhance cognitive function as people age, and the new planters are a great example,” says Nichelle.

She counts on the kindness and support of individual islanders, grants and donations to fund some of her projects. “Our caregivers provide exceptional hands-on practical and personal care, but we’re not big enough to have an activities director, so getting community help is great.”

She gives the example of shopping at Lopez Thrift Store as another way Hamlet House uses local resources to support their residents. “We purchased two sets of light hand weights plus scarves and material to use as props for “Sit and Be Fit” exercise classes that happen here three times each week. Actually we got our exercise tape from the Thrift Store, too! We’re getting really good at repurposing everyday items to serve the needs of our residents.”

“A lot of people don’t know that we’re mental health and dementia certified, which means the staff is educated on how to provide the specialized care that people in that group require. All of these physical activities are a real help.”

Hamlet House, Lopez Island’s only adult family home, provides 24-hour care in “a loving, safe, attentive home environment” for six people. It was founded and is operated by Lopez Housing Options, a nonprofit dedicated to providing housing and support for seniors who might otherwise have to move off island.