We will not be taking calls on Friday, July 4, due to the holiday.
Member and Provider Services Representatives unavailable Friday, July 4
We will not be taking calls on Friday, July 4, due to the holiday.
Fargo, N.D. – Gardening is good for the body, that’s the theory of one long-term care center. Gardening is also good for emotional, spiritual and social wellness.
In 2024, the Griggs County Care Center built a handicap-accessible vegetable garden. Named the Griggs County Care Center Sanctuary Garden, the space is safe and accommodating for the center’s 35 or so residents and the surrounding community. Gardening gives residents and the surrounding community an opportunity to connect to nature.
In the garden’s eight months, Foundation Director Amber Wogsland said she can see improvements in the residents’ well-being.
“Residents who normally would not come out of their rooms took a stroll and checked things out,” she said. “At first, they only observed, watching others enjoy the space. As the growing season progressed, they got their hands dirty. Residents who struggle with memory loss started telling stories of what they grew and created from their own home gardens or from living on the farm. We know this impacted the residents’ social health and elevated their well-being.”
Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to live alone, have lost family or friends, and suffer from chronic illness or hearing loss, according to the Social Determinants of Health Report (SDoH). The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation completed the SDoH report in 2023. In North Dakota, about one-third of all seniors live by themselves – which is higher than any other state in the U.S.
In addition to reducing loneliness, the care center prepared the vegetables for meals and snacks, impacting the residents’ nutrition and physical well-being.
“This project started as a dream. Thanks to the BUILD Grant to get us started, we anticipate that this project will continue to grow and expand as we develop the northwest corner of the care center property into an area used for vegetables, flowers and memorials for everyone to enjoy,” Wogsland said.
Wogsland is especially grateful for community involvement. Along with the residents who benefited from the project, dozens of students and other local organizations supported the garden too. High school students built the four raised beds and even attended a day of planting to get the vegetables in the ground.
“The garden project is special,” said Amber Blomberg, Foundation & Community Engagement Executive Director for BCBSND. “We love how it benefits the social, emotional and physical health of these residents as well as the employees and students who interact with it.”
BUILD grants work to transform the health of rural North Dakotans. This year, the grants invested more than $45,000 into eight organizations. In addition to Griggs County Care Center, those organizations include:
Learn more about BUILD grants at bcbsnd.com/caring-foundation.
About the BCBSND Caring Foundation
Established in 1989, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Over these 30 years, the Caring Foundation has worked to improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans and their communities. Through collaborations with organizations across North Dakota, it is our goal to support sustainable and innovative efforts that promote better outcomes and create lasting change.
Contact:
Melissa Richard
Director of Communications
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH DAKOTA, FARGO
952-240-3477 (mobile) | melissa.richard@bcbsnd.com | www.bcbsnd.com