If you're looking for a new place outdoors to rest and relax, Punggol Waterway Park has a new therapeutic garden you can add to your list of activities.

Elevated vista and fragrant smells

The 900 sqm therapeutic garden at Punggol Waterway Park is the sixth of its kind in Singapore, and the very first in the North-east.

The garden boasts a fitness area and an elevated vista and viewing deck which allows visitors a scenic view of the waterway.

It also includes a "wellness zone", which provides a place to de-stress and lift one's mood. Specially curated plants grown in the garden can help improve visitors' mental wellbeing.

Plenty of seats are also available around the garden for those there to enjoy the fragrances of flowers and familiar plants like pandan.

Suitable for elderly

Considering the number of nursing homes and eldercare facilities in close proximity of the garden, the place is senior-friendly and wheelchair accessible as well.

It also caters to a wide range of users including seniors and those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dementia.

Raised planters dotted throughout the area also make it easier for the elderly to partake in gardening activities.

Therapeutic horticulture programmes have also been held at these gardens.

The programmes — suitable for elderly, those with dementia and other special needs — are specially designed to promote low-intensity exercise and improve motor skills, stimulate memory, encourage positive social interactions and connection with nature and promote mindfulness.

However, the programmes have been cancelled until further notice due to Covid-19.

According to The Straits Times, a project found that 47 older adults from senior daycare who had attended weekly sessions at the Therapeutic Garden@HortPark for 24 weeks were significantly less anxious, happier and showed improvement in cognitive function.

30 therapeutic gardens by 2030

30 more therapeutic gardens will be developed in Singapore by 2030. These will help "offer health and wellness benefits through greenery", the National Parks Board said in their Facebook post.

The other therapeutic gardens are located at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Chua Chu Kang Park, Tiong Bahru Park, HortPark and Telok Blangah Hill Park.

The latter was unveiled in March earlier this year.

Five more therapeutic gardens are slated to open in the first half of 2021 at Sembawang Park, Yishun Pond Park, Pasir Ris Park, Bedok Reservoir Park and Jurong Lake Gardens.

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Top photo from NParks / FB