As Taiwan’s population ages rapidly, the demand for medical care and long-term care continues to rise. Community care now needs to focus not only on disease prevention and medical support, but also on older adults’ emotional well-being, social participation, and overall life satisfaction. In recent years, the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (TSIPS) has been promoting horticultural therapy in six community care centers in the Taichung mountain area and three Indigenous cultural health stations. These programs have shown great results. Horticultural therapy is low-cost but highly effective, making it an important strategy for promoting healthy aging.

Taiwan will officially enter a “super-aged society” in 2025. As people age, they often experience declining physical abilities and reduced social participation, which may lead to emotional imbalance or sub-health conditions. As the need for healthy aging and community care grows, horticultural therapy is becoming a new cross-disciplinary approach that connects agriculture, health, long-term care, education, and social services. TSIPS hopes to work with rural communities to offer horticultural therapy programs that support both the physical and mental health of older adults, while also encouraging them to step out of their homes, build new social connections, and enjoy “aging well in place.”

TSIPS has introduced horticultural therapy programs to six community care centers and three Indigenous cultural health stations. The program runs for eight weeks, with one two-hour session each week. The curriculum focuses on creativity, a sense of achievement, hands-on activities, and meaningful social interaction. Before and after the program, participants complete simple surveys to assess changes in emotional health, energy levels, interest in life, and social engagement. At the end of the program, a presentation event is held so participants can proudly share their achievements with the community.

After eight weeks, participants showed improvements in health, emotional stability, and overall vitality. The activities helped reduce stress, boost energy, improve mood, and significantly enhance social participation and happiness. Many older adults shared that seeing the flowers, vegetables, and succulents they planted brings them joy every day. Volunteers also posted weekly updates on social media, and the community responded with enthusiastic support. People praised the program, saying it helped create a “happy community,” and were amazed by the beautiful work created by the older adults. This recognition brings great encouragement to them. We hope they will continue to plant these “seeds of happiness” and let horticultural therapy become a joyful way to improve health and well-being.

Overall, horticultural therapy strengthens community care services and helps older adults achieve “healthy aging in place” in a familiar environment. Therefore, horticultural therapy should continue to be promoted and expanded in future community care and aging policies.

▲Figure 1. In the pressed-flower art class, the older participants stayed calm and fully focused as they completed their artwork.		▲Figure 2. The seed-sowing activity required a high level of concentration and fine motor skills, and all participants were able to finish their projects.
▲Figure 3. Many older adults had never tried flower arranging before, so being able to complete their own arrangement made them feel happy and proud.		▲Figure4.The plant-mounting activity challenged the participants’ physical coordination and movement skills.