Memory Care: National Gardening Month

Gardening may be a long-term memory for some residents with dementia that may have grown up building and growing beautiful gardens. Gardening is a great sensory and therapeutic activity for residents living with dementia. It is a very positive hobby that assists with hand/eye coordination, feeling textures, matching like items, and it gives residents a sense of purpose.

It is advantageous to connect individuals living with dementia to their long-term memories. It’s extremely beneficial for these residents to reminisce on distant memories. By connecting residents to their long-term memories, they may regain their sense of purpose and sense of comfort. Diving into these memories helps staff get to know the residents, allowing staff to use these memories to create meaningful activities or to decrease stress and anxiety of the residents.

Here at VITALIA Active Adult Community® – Rockside Seven Hills, OH to celebrate and participate in National Gardening Month we’ve started looking through flower and garden magazines to decide what would look best in our courtyard and indoor living spaces. We’re hoping for sunnier days to start prepping our garden, so we can then start planting. We will be reminiscing about our gardens growing, planting and maintaining the garden, and learning about the dos and don’ts of gardening.