Nature-based therapies are engaging and stimulating the brains of older Australians diagnosed with dementia at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney.
Among the 12 participants, some have lost – or are beginning to lose – their short-term memory.
Others can be easily confused about where they are, get distracted, or struggle to formulate a sentence.
Over an eight-week period, the participants immerse themselves in the garden and are encouraged to smell and touch flowers, ferns and herbs, as well as learn about the flora and fauna.
It had been years since she said a complete sentence
Michael Shirley said Bronwyn, his wife of 45 years, always loved gardens.
Five years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“She’s able to understand everything you say, but can’t answer you back,” Michael said.
At one of the botanic garden sessions, Bronwyn excitedly said, “Oh, I love that”.
“It had been years since I heard a complete sentence,” Michael told The Drum.
“There was a lot of emotion in it – it was really wonderful.”
Small moments like these can have a lasting impact for the participant and their carer.
Bronwyn is among the nearly half a million people who live with dementia, an umbrella term for the range of symptoms “caused by disorders affecting the brain”.
Plants hold memories for people
Tess Jones, who runs the program’s daily activities, told The Drum “plants have a beautiful capacity to hold memories for people”.
“We would hear stories about gardens that people had had throughout their lives, the plants that they loved.”
As the group snakes its way through the small forest in the botanic garden, 89-year-old George Olah drums away on one of the tree trunks with a big smile on his face.
His wife Karin explains that he used to be a bongo player.
She gushes that the whole experience has been enlightening.
“We don’t have to go to church, we just look at all these magnificent plants and animals,” she said.
‘We’re all just big kids’
During each session the group creates something to take home.
To make a terrarium, they follow instructions to shovel layers of dirt and pebbles into jars and are encouraged to play with the moss before planting a cutting.
Tess normally runs children’s educational programs for 3 to 4-year-olds at the Royal Botanic Garden, but believes lessons in nature can apply to any age group.
“It was beautiful to see the participants find those same sensory experiences and the same facts and stories so exciting,” Tess said.
“For me it’s just the biggest reminder that we’re all just big kids and we all get excited by a cool bug, or learning something about a plant.”
This pilot program was initiated by St Luke’s Care, and they’ve been surprised by how receptive participants have been.
“What we noticed was some who had responsive behaviours, who were difficult to handle due to all the lockdowns — once they got into the garden they became a new person,” St Luke’s dementia consultant Michelle Beaumont said.
Creating meaningful moments
Former PE teacher Mike Jobbins hasn’t noticed any changes since his diagnosis, but his wife Anne Jobbins definitely has.
Withdrawing from social activities is one of the signs of dementia.
“When he is doing something he’s good, — when he’s not, he is just sleeping,” she said.
Mike says he goes to rugby training too — “that was about 50 years ago,” Anne laughed in correction.
The carers and family members ask Tess about different plants and their life spans as they walk through the garden.
Coming here is a way to share meaningful moments with their loved ones and to meet people who share similar experiences.
“You get to meet other people and you realise you are not alone,” Anne said.
The importance of staying connected as we get older
Stephanie Ward is a senior research fellow at UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing – and appears on the ABC’s Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds as well as the most recent iteration Old People’s Home for Teenagers.
She told The Drum of the importance of keeping connections as we get older.
“The need to have those lovely experiences doesn’t change, but what can change with dementia is making those opportunities happen,” Dr Ward said.
Research around the specific benefits of horticulture therapy for people with dementia continues, but there are promising signs.
One of the activities the botanic garden participants have been involved in is forest bathing, which has been found to reduce stress and blood pressure.
“The immersion in nature can be calming, and can help with agitation, low mood, self-esteem, and aggression,” Dr Ward said.
She told The Drum that sunlight exposure and exercise are known to have benefits for sleeping patterns too.
With the help of donations, St Luke’s Care will support this program to run three times a year.
“To just bring them some calm and some pure joy inspired by the natural world each week has been awesome,” Tess said.
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