Forget-Me-Nots for Dementia Awareness, and Dementia-friendly garden ideas
Forget-Me-Nots are the emblematic blossom that represents the Alzheimer’s Society appeal which raises awareness and money for everyone living with dementia.
Saying goodbye to May, the month of dementia awareness, doesn’t mean we can’t continue supporting people with Dementia. There are many ways and sharing a garden is one of them.
My mum was diagnosed with dementia almost 10 years ago and now faces a new journey as her symptoms advance. Despite this, she found a lot of joy over the years growing fruit and vegetables. She was an otherwise sprightly lady on her good days but among the main symptoms, she is now less steady and gets tired easily, so her passion for gardening has naturally declined.
I hope that one day someone might be able to share her joy in gardening and use the space that she’s lovingly and arduously tended. You’d have the best soil in the street and she has a fair bit of experience and knowledge to share too. It’s one of the benefits of garden sharing with a garden Lender who knows what they’re doing. They may not be physically able to cope with what they used to be capable of, but a garden Lender is potentially a font of growing knowledge. Whereas, when joining an allotment, it’s often a solitary experience within the boundaries of your plot. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being part of an allotment community but I hardly ever saw anyone other than at the busier times of the year, when really, everyone was rushed off their feet watering and didn’t have time to stop and chat.
If you’re lucky enough to share a garden with an experienced gardener with a dementia diagnosis, like my mum, there are a few things that you might like to consider to make the garden a safe and pleasant space for both you the visiting garden Tender and them, the garden Lender.
Tending to a garden for someone with dementia requires thoughtful consideration to ensure safety, accessibility, and gentle sensory stimulation. You might want to work through your ideas with the garden Lenders’ next of kin, something you can do using the Lend and Tend template agreement, but to get you started, here are some things to consider:
Safety:
Assess tripping hazards and keep paths clear of overgrowth, roots, and loose stones
Avoid spiky/thorny plants or plants with toxic berries that could pose a danger. Check out The Horticultural Trades Association helpful list if you’re unsure: https://hta.org.uk/potentiallyharmfulplants
Clear Navigation:
Keep pathways wide and clear, especially if the garden Lender uses mobility aids like walkers or wheelchairs.
Bear in mind that drastic changes to the layout may be confusing. Keep pathways well-defined and use clear landmarks. Plants can create visual cues to help with orientation in the garden.
Accessibility:
Ensure that pathways are smooth and level, allowing for easy movement. Ensure you’re tidy with tools, packing away after a gardening visit as not to cause obstacles.
Raised garden beds or container gardens for both Lender and Tender allow for gardening without the need to bend or kneel.
A Sensory Environment:
Gardens offer a wealth of gentle sensory stimulation. When deciding what to plant: fragrant flowers, textured plants, wind chimes, and water features create a variety of sensory experiences.
Plant with vibrant colours to stimulate a sense of well-being.
Familiarity and Comfort:
Again, when initially meeting with the garden Lender and possibly their next of kin, it may be a nice idea to chat about memories. There may be familiar plants and elements you both like which may evoke positive memories if there’s a personal connection.
Maintenance:
Tenders should agree on terms of visitation for the upkeep of the shared part of the garden, so as not to infringe on other essential health workers’ visits, eg considering parking, if that’s potentially an issue at the location.
By incorporating these considerations into your garden-sharing plans, a garden can be a safe, accessible, stimulating and creative outdoor space that both Lenmder and Tender can seek solace in and enjoy.
Some years ago, with volunteers, I helped Tend to a garden belonging to Betty and Jim in South West London. Both in their 90s, Betty had been a keen gardener, until her Dementia symptoms meant it was too difficult to spend time outside.
What was once clearly a much loved garden, was overgrown. Small conifers in pots had grown monstrously oversized plunging their roots through the paving slabs and were a danger for anyone, let alone the garden owners. In a day we removed rubbish, tidied the space and installed a raised bed so that Betty could continue to potter around in the sunshine, and got the garden ready for a potential Tender.
Clearing away hazards and rubbish
The finished tidy up
We weeded and top-dressed the border beds so these planting spaces ready for a new garden Tender to make use of them. Then planted a sensory herb corner in a sunny spot. (It was November, so it doesn’t look that sunny here). Also, repositioning the garden furniture made it accessible and less of a trip hazard for Betty, whilst still maintaining the best use of the space.
Plant ideas for a Dementia Friendly Garden
Bright colours and tactile soft textures create intrigue and invite interaction. Stachys byzantina, lamb's ear is a lovely addition and something pollinators will love.
Cotton Candy grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, or pink muhly grass, spreads slowly and is drought tolerant offers gentle soothing sounds and creates a striking feature.
Salvia rosmarinus, Rosemary is hardy, evergreen and another one bees love. Great for culinary use and smells great too.
One of the most evocative of sensory plants, Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia is also very attractive to bees and butterflies and grows in poor, sandy and chalky soil.
If you or a loved one are affected by dementia, what do you think of these ideas for garden-sharing?
Please feel free to comment or make suggestions below and if you think you could benefit from garden-sharing to help with maintaining your garden space, or if you have a loved one, who is no longer able to garden as much as they’d love to, please do get in touch if you have any questions.