Introduction: Occupational therapy is a health care profession that focuses on physical, psychological, cognitive, psychosocial, and many other aspects of a person's functioning. The occupational therapist's role is to enable the individuals to function independently in occupations that are important for them. Occupation is a unique activity, with a greater meaning to the person. Occupations are formed based on our roles, interests and daily activities. Gardening can be an occupation for an individual as well, if it's meaningful for him/her. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to determine how gardening is included in occupational therapy and what are the research findings regarding the implementation of gardening in occupational therapy practice. Methods: For writing our thesis, a descriptive method of the literature review was chosen. The databases that were used for searching the articles: CINAHL, PubMed, and Web of Science. The following keywords were used: therapeutic occupation, occupational therapy, gardening, horticulture, older adults, and people over 65 years (in Slovenian and English language). 12 articles were included in the final review according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and relevance. Results: We note that occupational therapists often include gardening in their practice. They use it individually or in groups. Gardening is an activity that can be very well adapted to the needs of the individual. Gardening has a positive effect on physical, mental, and cognitive health. Discussion and conclusion: Occupational therapy must be holistic, individualized, and occupation centered. The occupational therapist needs to use the correct approaches and evaluations. The occupational therapist uses gardening when it is presented as a meaningful activity. The environment for gardening must be suitable for individuals. Gardening improves physical endurance and strength, reduces the risk of falling, maintains occupational balance, and contributes to greater independence. It also reduces stress and improves one's mood. It has a positive effect on memory and concentration and in addition, it activates all the senses.
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