Gardening for well-being

                        

Gardening in a Dementia Care setting offers a multitude of benefits. Any size of space can be used to create a garden, even if it's only a window sill, yet it can still provide a great deal of valuable pleasure and enjoyment because;

  • It's a popular activity
  • Encourages people to spend time outside
  • It can be a very economical pass-time, especially once you're up and running
  • You're creating something visually attractive
  • Gardening engages the mind and stimulates memories
  • It's a great collaberative experience 

In a dementia care setting, if the space allows, you can make much greater use of the garden, making it more homely and reinforcing the sense-of-place. Using outdoor Destination Points and a seasonal clock, you can support orientation to the seasons and time of year and stimulating memories and the emotions that come with them,

Gardening activity really can significantly benefit and support people living in the care home with dementia.

                             

                   

Please note: There are dangers though and here, possibly more than anywhere else, the dangers might be less than obvious. When you consider the plants in a dementia garden, you will be surprised at the everyday plants and flowers which are toxic, irritant, or both! So assuming the physical environment has been constructed safely, careful attention must be paid to the planting, bearing in mind the plants may be touched or eaten.

With this in mind here's is a helpful list of toxic plants to download here but when choosing your plants it's extremely helpful if you can make friends with a local Garden Centre. They should be knowledgeable and helpful, especially when they know what the garden is for - you may even get some freebies!! 

For more information on the benefits of making a garden available in a dementia care home you can download the Alzheimer's Society guidance on sensory gardens by clicking here and you can also download information from an excellent resource called Thrive by clicking here.

If there's anything we can do to develop your garden, please get in touch