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HEALTHCARE & HOSPITAL FACILITIES STIMULATE THE SENSES


Dave Yates, MD of Envirocare Maintenance Solutions, discusses the reasons behind the growing popularity of sensory gardens at residential care homes. Here he shares some tips on delivering successful schemes that benefit everyone; from the residents and their families to the carers.


Sights, sounds and scents evoke emotions and reactions in all people. For people living with dementia this can awaken long-buried memories and bring pleasure to them and their families alike. Recognised by the Department of Health in 2015 in the Health Building Note as a means to improve dementia-friendly care, sensory gardens are becoming more common-place across the UK.


These gardens are carefully designed and built with very specific goals in mind, for example; helping get people outdoors and take more exercise, reducing levels of agitation, giving residents independent tasks and activities to carry out are all cited by the Department of Health as beneficial. There has been much research published in this area, finding that people with dementia gain significant benefits from time spent outdoors in the right type of environment. Studies have shown the calming effects and improved moods of residents as a result of dementia- friendly gardens.


To achieve these goals, the Health Building Note case studies have a number of suggestions to consider during the design phase of the project. We’ve picked out a few from the list:


• Incorporate something for all the senses, for instance, roses and hydrangeas can trigger memories through sight and scent. Bamboo is great to create sound along with wind chimes. Chamomile and woodruff provide great ground cover and scent and herbs such as rosemary, thyme and lavender will all help to create sights and smells that are evocative. For touch, lamb’s ears and squirrel tail grass are great.


40 | TOMORROW’S FM


• Looping non-slip pathways provide residents with a safe route around the garden that leads back to the starting point reducing concerns of being lost. Installing a brightly coloured pathway will help guide residents through the garden, along with clear sign-posts and contrasting edging to the path.


• Splitting the garden into separate areas so that the pathway takes a journey through these, incorporating areas where residents can be involved in the gardening. Raised beds also gives an opportunity to participate in meaningful activities like growing vegetables.


“PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA GAIN


SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FROM TIME SPENT OUTDOORS IN THE


RIGHT ENVIRONMENT.”


• Making the boundaries secure will encourage people to use the garden, as will easy access to the garden. However, covering walls and fences with plants and access points with trellises will keep the area looking natural.


• Design the planting to eliminate deep pools of shadow and areas of bright lights. People with dementia can become concerned about dark shadows on the ground thinking that these are obstacles to avoid or holes they may fall down.


• If at all possible, locate the garden near to windows so that the garden can be enjoyed in all weather conditions and to encourage residents to go outside.


• Work closely with the stakeholders during the design phase to ensure that the needs of the residents are taken into account and the project is tailored to the requirements of the home in question.


Taking sensory gardens from the drawing board, to deliver a dementia-friendly garden, comes with some unique challenges, things that are not an issue in most projects need close attention in sensory gardens. For example, we recently re-laid a pathway as a slight change in tone between two sections of pathway could have caused problems for residents who can have depth perception issues. It’s this type of experience and attention to detail that gives clients the confidence that the end product be a fantastic place for residents and their families to spend time.


www.envirocarems.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM


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