How sensory gardens help people with dementia blossom
for Trouw
Mirjam Siben lets 92-year-old Mrs. Schol smell a flower in the sensory garden of the De Bieslandhof nursing home in Delft.
“Would you like to smell a flower?”, care assistant Mirjam Siben asks Mrs. Schol. The 92-year-old nods approvingly. Together with another colleague and resident, they walk through the large courtyard garden of the De Bieslandhof nursing home in Delft. “Now let’s go feed the sheep, Mrs. Scholl loves that.”
Location manager Lydi Brouwer and psychologist Melanie van der Velde - van Buuringen worked together to design the sensory garden.
On average, more than 90 percent of nursing home residents with dementia stay indoors during the day. This doesn’t only lead to a reduced quality of life, but also to emotional and behavioral problems. That’s why ‘sensory gardens’, gardens that stimulate all senses and invite people to be active, social or relaxed, are becoming more popular.
“I think being able to go outside is a human right,” says Lydi Brouwer, location manager of De Bieslandhof. Their sensory garden opened earlier this summer, and boosts wide paths – easy to navigate with wheelchairs - around a water feature. In addition to the many wild and edible plants, there are (interactive) works of art, bee hives, benches and picnic tables. There are play areas for kids and animals walking around.
The garden and its design is based on scientific data. Studies show that garden use has a positive effect on the quality of life, behavior and psychological symptoms of dementia. Those who go outside are generally happier, less apathetic, and experience less social isolation. Agitation, stress and aggression decrease and sleep improves. One study even reports that people were able to lower their intake of psychotropic drugs.
The garden in Delft is also the PhD research ground of psychologist Melanie van der Velde – van Buuringen. The results of her research aren’t in yet, but staff, residents and visiting families are happy with the new outdoor facilities. Of course, there are also risks involved with letting people with dementia go outside.
“There must be an accepted risk,” says Brouwer. “We had a gentleman who really wanted to go outside, but had three rough falls in one week. If we kept him inside he might not have fallen like that. And still, the family tells us: please, let him go outside. Because we see how happy that makes him.”
Research shows that contact with animals can have a calming effect on people with dementia.