“We plant Derby week.”
“That’s just what we do here,” I heard a facility administrator say this week.
There is something magical about a garden in springtime, especially one planted by the hands of residents, therapists and dining staff together.
At one skilled nursing facility in central Kentucky, the raised beds along the patio are just waiting, freshly filled with composted soil for residents to gently place herb starters and tomato plants in rows.
This simple act, planting a garden, has become a symbol of more than fresh produce for many skilled nursing communities. It’s become a symbol of nourishment, community and healing.
And this spring, it’s also timely.
In the FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is requesting feedback on a potential quality measure focused on nutrition. Specifically, they’re asking stakeholders to weigh in on how SNFs can better support nutritional health, including strategies that address physical activity, sleep and preventable care. For those of us in rehab, this is a welcome invitation.
We have always known that nutritional health and therapy go hand-in-hand.
Harvesting positive outcomes
Gardening itself provides more than just a future harvest.
For residents, it offers:
- Reduced stress and anxiety through repetitive, purposeful activity
- A mood boost from fresh air, sunshine and the satisfaction of nurturing something
- Gentle cardiovascular exercise that supports strength and endurance
- Brain stimulation through planning, remembering steps and sensory input
- Socialization as they garden alongside peers, staff, and volunteers
- A connection to nature, so often missing in institutional care
And, yes, fresh produce that can be incorporated into meals, smoothies and daily activities.
Therapists across all disciplines should recognize the garden as a functional space for care.
Physical therapists may work on ambulation and balance as residents walk to the garden or carry watering cans. Occupational therapists incorporate fine motor skill work through planting and picking. Speech-language pathologists facilitate conversation, sequencing and language tasks as part of gardening groups.
Furthermore, if a resident isn’t getting enough nutrients or is unable to consume food safely, every aspect of their rehabilitation is impacted.
Let’s consider how physical, occupational and speech therapy services help identify and address nutritional risks before significant changes in function occur.
Therapists and nutrition
PTs improve strength and mobility so residents can walk to meals, stand for hygiene routines, or regain the endurance needed to dine socially. They understand sarcopenia doesn’t just affect fall risks — it’s swallowing muscles too.
OTs support self-feeding and fine motor function. Whether adjusting adaptive utensils or modifying seating and tray setups, they ensure residents can eat with dignity and independence.
SLPs assess and manage swallowing disorders. They provide strategies and diet modifications to prevent aspiration, train caregivers on safe feeding practices, and advocate for resident preferences to enhance both safety and satisfaction.
Back at that Kentucky SNF, the tomatoes will soon be coming in slowly. Residents will gather every few days to check on their progress, water the herbs, and share recipe ideas. One resident swears her salsa will knock everyone’s socks off! Another just wants to watch them grow.
Therapists document goals. Dietary staff plan a harvest meal. And across departments, a shared understanding blooms: nutrition is therapy.
As CMS looks to plant new roots in quality through its exploration of nutritional measures, let’s share what’s already growing strong in our communities.
Remember the seeds we plant — in care plans, in raised beds, and, yes, even during Derby week — can yield something truly life-giving: health, hope and healing for those we serve.
Renee Kinder, MS, CCC-SLP, RAC-CT, serves as the Executive Vice President of Clinical Services for Broad River Rehab. Additionally, she contributes her expertise as a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Healthcare and Economics Committee, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine community faculty, and an advisor to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology CPT® Editorial Panel, and a member of the AMA Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group. For further inquiries, she can be contacted here.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News guest submissions are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News or its editors.
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