Creating a Sensory Garden for People with Dementia

Over 850,000 people in the UK live with dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of brain diseases, with Alzheimer’s making up the largest share - 62% of cases. The Alzheimer’s Society charity has teamed up with HSBC to organise a Memory Walk in Norwich’s Eaton Park on Saturday 10th September. Sponsored walkers will raise money to help fund the research that hopes to find a cure for dementia. On a more personal level, you may be able to help a friend or family member who has dementia by building them a sensory garden.

Gardening for all the Senses

Dementia patients have shown strong responses to sensory inputs. A garden can be sown in such a way that the plants delight all the senses. Vibrant colours, beautiful aromas, the buzzing of insects, fresh vegetables, rough bark and velvety leaves - all may help to jog the memory of a person with dementia.

Using Scents

One word of caution, don’t overload your sense of smell with a lot of strong aromas. Plants such as honeysuckle, buddleia, hyacinths and wisteria are very fragrant indeed. Space them out so that they don’t overpower the subtler scents.

Suitable Plants

A large part of the pleasure of a sensory garden is to be able to touch the leaves and petals of the plants, especially if an older person has impaired vision. Obviously, if people are going to be touching the plants, you don’t want anything toxic or sharp – so watch out for any stinging nettles and ivy that might spring up.

The Project

When designing a garden for a person with dementia, help them choose the plants that are familiar to them. Nominal dysphasia - the inability to recall names - is a common side effect of dementia, but you may be able to get them to look through seed catalogues with you and pick out their favourite flowers. Get the whole family involved in the gardening project.

If you would like to remove your old garden and start planting a sensory garden then remember that, at Knight’s Paving and Landscaping, we provide a full landscaping service. Give us a call on 01603 360548 for more information.

Sign up for the Norwich Memory Walk here.