Dementia Charity needs advice and help please
scottdownie
Posts: 3
Hello everyone,
I run a small dementia charity based in Scotland and we are using gardening as a way to help people with dementia spend more time with their friends, family and loved ones in their own gardens.
We are running a small project right now called Bygone Gardens where we are working with 10 people with dementia and their families across Angus in Scotland. Our aim is to prove this works with the 10 starter families then spread it out across the region and then share what we have learned with other small organisations within the UK.
Although we are able to help these families we do need some help from people like you, we have 10 gardens to design so that they are manageable and easy to look after from a beginners point of view.
Our basic premise is that we are working with the families to find out which decade that their loved on with dementia remembers most and then we will take their garden back to that time. For instance, if it was the 1970's they remember most fondly then we would design their garden to include Pam-pus Grass, Alpine Rockery and pink chuckies (known locally her in Scotland as Balmullo Chip).
We need a small number of people who can volunteer small amount of time to help us design the gardens, each area is small and we will do all the work on the ground that you require.
If you can spare a few hours later towards the end of the summer please respond and I can contact you with my full contact details.
Thank you so much!
Scott Downie
Chief Exec - The Memory Box Network
Posts
If I lived any nearer I would love to have helped as I lost my lovely Mum to dementia two years ago. Best wishes with your project.
Sounds like a lovely idea - hope you can make it work. Unfortunately I live several hundred miles south so can't offer to help.
I'll try to remember to bump this up later on this afternoon so some of our gardening friends in Scotland might see it. Unfortunately I don't think there are that many of them in your area - but you never know.
Hi Everyone,
Just to clear up a question that I have had sent through to me, the help we need can be done remotely and you don't need to be local to Scotland or Angus.
I will take all the garden measurements and photographs/sketches etc that you would need to help with a couple of hours of your time.
Thanks again,
Scott
Hi Scott,
Sounds like a great project .... the calming effect of being outdoors in a garden are well documented.
Although I do live in Scotland, I'm also too far from Angus to be able to participate in person. However, I would be more than happy to donate seeds etc if they would be useful.
Best wishes ... Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Bee,
Thank you, any help is very welcome!
If anyone has any contacts that they think could help please do pass them on to us.
Best,
Scott
Hi Scott,
What a wonderful idea! I'm in glasgow, so no-where near you unfortunately, but if you ever have any gardening projects that I could help with nearer Glasgow, give me a shout. Probably wouldn't be much use at the designing part, but could definetly help with the actual gardening.
Good luck, I hope you get some help.
Susan
Hi Scott .... me again.
Just a thought ... it might be worth making contact with the Beechgrove Garden team.
They are always looking for community projects to get involved with .. and this would give tremendous publicity to your project which could be v. helpful.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Hi Scott,
I'm a garden designer & would be happy to help if I can - my grandmother suffers from dementia and I have a lot of admiration for charities that provide assistance to sufferers and their families.
Best,
FloraDB
Hi Scott,
When you get the measurements I would love to send some ideas across to you on here. If there is a particular theme that needs working on I would love to accept the challenge.
Kind Regards
Heidi
bump