Gardens and Dementia

Contributions from other Persons Living with Dementia symptoms: Tommy Dunne,
with Alzheimers-type dementia.

Have not shared any of Tommy’s Tweets since 2014 … because i have not been on Twitter during those years. So i figured it was time to catch up. Here are some of Tommy’s tweets on topic of gardens, during April 2018:

Every time I watch the birds in the park
I get a clip round the ear hole
off the wife
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Gardens have been highlighted as improving the health of PLWD in a number of ways,
by stimulating the appetite and increasing vitamin D levels through sunlight,
and we all know how important vitamin D is especially for us. — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Gardening projects should no longer separate, formal programmes.
They should be woven into residents’ care plans at a level acceptable for each person so no one is excluded. …
Why should a person with dementia be excluded from everyday life?
Every PLWD has a right to enjoy the tastes, smells, sounds and feelings of the real world …
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Gardens can be a place of sensory delight for those living with dementia.
The delicate fragrance of the flowers
and freshly mowed grass
can transport someone back in time instantly
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Don’t have paths with dead ends,
use a figure 8 or circle
as we hate coming to a dead end.
.
In a garden you can let your mind
wander
as far as it wants
with out worry
and the good thing is
it will meet loads of wonderful memories on the way
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Very important to have good seating. — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

How peaceful is it to sit in a garden
especially in the sunshine
with the sounds, sights and smells of nature all around,
the hum of a bumble bee
as it flits from flower to flower busy at its work,
with the songs of the birds — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Make sure you have bird feeders
… great idea having an aviary too …
and if possible a fish pond.
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Install movement sensitive lighting on paths,
as well as good lighting on features
means they can be enjoyed from indoors
and it is easier to spot wildlife.
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

A garden can help people living with dementia enjoy socialising
and connect with others by creating a shared experience,
who haven’t walked/sat in a garden with the sun shining and not smiled.
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Process of Gardening

Have raised flower/fruit beds
for those that cannot bend down as well as they use to.
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Only use dementia friendly tools …
Safety and access issues must be considered when designing gardens for people with dementia, the elderly and children…
Avoid giving someone with dementia sharp gardening tools.
Always ensure all plants are non-toxic — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

((Response to Question:
““The care home has tried gardening with my mother but she seems to get bored quickly.
Any ideas about effective gardening activities that work for people with dementia?””))
They need to let her plant artificial flowers — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

In a natural and gentle way
gardens can empower everyone to feel good about themselves …
and the wonder of the garden can be shared by all generations
— Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

((re Outdoor pictoral scenes at http://www.cannoncarehomes.co.uk/silverleigh/garden/ ))
Love it absolutely love it.
This could even be done on walls surround a home,
or on panels in your own garden — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Your pictures and art can bring the outdoors in to those not fortunate to be able to get out — Tommy Dunne 2018Apr30

Tommy’s index for other pages is at >> https://truthfulkindness.com/index-persons-with-dementia-pwd/tommy-dunne/

Explanatory page for Alzheimers-type of Dementia is here >> https://www.healthline.com/health/alzheimers-disease

* Admin issues: SHARE dementia awareness thru buttons below. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of comments, but please filter your comments with truthful loving kindness to all concerned. If interested in receiving notice of future blog postings, subscriptions are available through a “follow” button in the upper left corner (MS Explorer) or lower right (Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Chrome). If there is an advertisement below, I have no control over what is shown. Text Copyright exclusively by Tommy Dunne © 2018 April 30 but if there are font changes i probably added them to make it easier to find later. (Final permission 2018 May 4 via private message on twitter) 9hrs + graphic. Graphic Copyright exclusively by Truthful Kindness © 2018 May 14. Tags are: alzheimers, dementia, garden, PLwD, Tommy Dunne.