Experimental garden to open in SA

The first of three innovative, experimental gardens for people with dementia will be opened at Bupa Care’s Morphettville facility in South Australia tomorrow.

The garden, designed to provide cognitive and sensory stimulation for residents, will feature an edible garden, space for various resident activities such as woodworking, and areas where residents can undertake other activities of personal interest. 

General Manager of Bupa Care’s facility at Morphettville, Jennifer Garrard, is confident that the garden will be of great benefit to all residents, especially those with dementia.

“Our new garden [will] allow residents to keep up with hobbies and interests which are crucial to their ongoing health,” Ms Garrard said.

“In addition, the letterbox in the garden has already inspired a pen-pal arrangement between some of our residents and some local school children which has been fantastic for everybody involved.”

Two other gardens will also be opened at the facility following the initial launch. Once up and running, Bupa Care will evaluate the impact of the gardens upon resident wellbeing and determine whether or not it should build more gardens in other facilities.

“Research shows that spending time in a garden is very effective for improving the mood, physical health and mobility of elderly residents and especially for reducing anxiety in people with dementia,” Ms Garrard said.

“We also hope that this garden and the activities it provides will bring a lot of enjoyment for our residents and their family members when they visit.”

Bupa Care Managing Director, Paul Gregersen, said the new facility at Morphettville was a testimony to Bupa’s commitment to personalised care.

“We’re incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication that has ensured Morphettville is a benchmark facility for person-centred care,” Mr Gregersen said.

“Bupa Care is continuing to strive to improve the quality of dementia care across Australia.”