For those keen to get more actively involved, residents at Grove Place are able to get outside and enjoy the beautifully tended croquet lawns and the immaculate nine-hole putting green or even turn their hand to a spot of gardening. At the heart of Grove Place is a 16th Century Grade 1 listed Manor House which boasts its own kitchen garden and orchard which produces fresh fruit and vegetables that are used in the high-class restaurant. The kitchen garden further enriches the lives of the residents by helping provide a plethora of homegrown, seasonal and organic produce all bursting with health benefits. Even the leaves from the raspberries are used in tea infusions! Nurturing social relationships has a significant effect on mental and physical health, with research showing that adults who socialise enjoy better health. Working together in Grove Place’s beautiful kitchen garden provides an ideal place for meeting and interacting with others and the added sense of satisfaction of growing nutritious food together. Many of the apartments and bungalows at Grove Place have their own balconies and terraces which residents greatly enjoy. Resident Barbara Wood not only relishes the many walks in the rolling Hampshire countryside, but also the ability to turn her hand to gardening; “Our apartment is on the ground floor, and via French doors in our living room, we have easy access to a private terrace and the grounds beyond. This allows me to indulge my green-fingered gardening hobby in my own patch of Grove Place.” The positive emotional health benefits of gardening are well-known. Gardening provides a near-effortless way to stay active, it decreases levels of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’ and increases exposure to Vitamin D producing sunlight.

Therefore, it is clear and widely documented that access to green spaces can promote mental and physical health by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating and fostering social cohesion and reducing feelings of loneliness which are very relevant predictors of health in the older population. Additionally, higher exposure to green space has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease such as diabetes. Furthermore, access to more green space provides an incentive for supporting physical activity, and remaining physically active is an important factor for maintaining health in older age. Accessible natural areas are vital for mental health as we consider retirement.

With over 30 years’ experience, LifeCare Residences are leaders in retirement community living. LifeCare Residences started in New Zealand, famously one of the most beautiful countries in the world, renowned for the importance it places on the natural environment and green spaces.

On 28th, 29th and 30th January, Grove Place will be hosting VIP Viewing Events by appointment only. If you would like to discover more about luxury retirement living and what is available, please contact Wendy Griffith on: T. 023 8074 3592 or E.[email protected]

Grove Place, Upton Lane, Nursling, Southampton SO16 0XY
www.groveplace.co.uk
LifeCare Residences
T. 0800 009 6950
www.lifecareresidences.co.uk