How to Build a Garden for People with Dementia: Part 1 | Outdoor | Great Home Ideas

[Music] well we're off and running with our mega garden makeover at this special age care home but first there's one gorgeous resident I want you to meet with her lovely Kara Julie my man Maureen is turning a spectacular 101 years young this year now Nana lives here at this high care cottage for women and men with dementia this is Jason then hi how are you and then I'm gonna leave you with Julie gonna get some lunch and I'm gonna go and talk to Jason about the garden okay it'll be a beautiful garden okay [Music] Jase the reality is almost 500 thousand Australians currently with dementia and that's a figure that's sadly on the rise that touches a lot of people and if a garden like this has got mistakes in it I want to bring it to your attention show you the things you can do so we can all get it right a little bit of education Wow we're about to be schooled by Ho Chi see me after class miss Briggs [Music] Oh your way on telling you'll be a movie star [Music] a total of 18 residents live in the cottage now here great thought has gone into trying to replicate the comforts of home and create a familiar environment and that includes a calm and therapeutic outdoor green space to answer your general manager of residential for Hammond care when we look around this garden like to me like take him out of the equation as a layperson and that she looks pretty amazing but it doesn't really serve your needs does it no it doesn't I think things have changed over the last 17 years this building was opened in the year 2000 yeah we know a lot more now than what we did then about what is a good garden for people with dementia okay so there is a science behind it yeah there is simple things really thinking about what people can see or sense first on the dementia is also obviously older a lot of the time so pathways need to make sense lead to some we like a door trees and plants need to be a lower height so that people could see what's on the other side of it otherwise people will turn and walk in the other direction we need to use contrast so thinking how do we make sure that someone in a wheelchair or with a walker can stay on the par and not tip off the edges so we like to highlight the edging of the part and just really if picker without somewhere to see it but they can sit down but also see or sense where they want to go next what about specific plants like is there anything that's in here that's not suitable well things that are spiky and they've got the sharp little twigs and you just think the frailty of skin that people have it's really easy for that to tell and you want somewhere to sit well there's the area near the door but maybe we need something and again if you sit someone in there facing a fence that person doesn't know what they wanted to do next and say you've actually disabled them just by placing the seat the wrong way we're looking at that fence that fence is so dominant when you look at this guy well it looks lovely it is a bit too bright but it probably takes the focus away from some of those paths and things that other people would choose well it's just good guns on anyway because it is bright well the darker it is the more light away and that's what we want it to do is fight away yeah no pressure but you've got a few things to think about I've got a few things in mind okay so working with Angela and a staff our plan is to simplify this garden and make it a lot more user-friendly first to address the confusing layer we're going to pull up these two lateral paths and down the middle create a new wider central path leading to a pergola add to that some raised garden beds new plans and fresh paint and we'll have a much more usable sanctuary for the residents so it's time to get stuck in then wouldn't you know it right okay it's that's the bucket Dan [Music] yeah good luck getting that Spade I'll bring Z so that's why I'm glassy with the rain if something's a soil now while many of these plants will go to good homes others are just too old and woody I put up here will tip it over and not likely to survive a transplant so sadly they're off to the compost edges but you look like you're actually praying for her I'm saying goodbye to it if you look in you can see the last time it was pruned and for us that'll be comfortable cuz we can see over it but for these guys this is exactly what they're talking it's not only that to touch it it's so spiky the other thing is some of the residents with dementia might actually view this hedge as a solid object so our best attorney rain going back inside it worse they're trying to climb over yes it becomes a safety issue only way to transplant it [Music] as pretty as that little Mariah's in this box it's there just the next version of what we've taken out with that big Magnolia hedge the path was starting to get crowded out by the plant so we're taking it all out we're gonna put a raised garden bed with lots of plants to the tactile so they can touch them and feel them all the different textures and when we don't have the raised garden bed we've got a two-foot so it's flush with the path and nice and safe

Channel: Great Home Ideas

Views: 42,301

Rating: 4.884892 out of 5

Keywords: Great Home Ideas, DIY, Food, Cooking, How To, Lifestyle, Lifestyle Design, Gardening, DIY Hacks, DIY Tips, Furniture Hacks, Pet Care, Better Homes & Gardens, BHAG, Tara Dennis, How To DIY, How 2

Id: JmUsmd8gqsQ

Length: 6min 17sec (377 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 31 2019